Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin
by Fenikkusumaru
Summary: A deadly meteor shower has wiped out over 90% of the human population. Arriving in these space rocks, the deadly alien race, the Worms, have come to replace the identities of humanity. Now, an alliance of brave soldiers and civilians must join together to fight the Worms and human monsters as a new kind of hero: Kamen Riders.
1. Chapter 1: Days of Ruin

**Fenikkusumaru: **HELLO FANFIC READERS! I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

**Serpentdragon:** Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Riders, Kaijin, and allies of all ages, please give a warm welcome to our returning champion: Fenikkusumaru!

**Audience:** YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

*Audience stands in ovation and fireworks and confetti go off.*

**SD:** How's that for a welcome back, aibou?

**Fen:** I feel great to be back man. Like the Phoenix, I've risen from the ashes.

**SD:** *Nods* Indeed. It's sure good to have you back for good this time.

**Fen:** Yeah. And to celebrate my return, I'm putting out a whole lot of new stories out on my homepage!

**SD:** Yep! And a bunch on my page as well! In preparation for Fen's return, he and I have begun working a whole bunch of Kamen Rider crossover stories, including two completely original Rider series, for you guys to enjoy, all leading up to one very special event!

**Fen:** That's right! Plus I got a new chapter of GX: Society of Light and the new 5D's sequel too!

**SD:** So, Fen, do you give them a little sneak peak of what we have in store for them?

**Fen:** I sure can! We've got some Kamen Rider crossovers going on. And they are:

Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin (Kamen Rider Kabuto x Advance Wars: Days of Ruin)  
>Kamen Rider OOO: Unlimited Adventure (Kamen Rider OOO x One Piece: Unlimited Adventure<br>The Wizard of Zero (Kamen Rider Wizard x Familiar of Zero)

**SD:** And as for our original Rider stories, the first we have Kamen Rider Access, a story full of advanced technology, mind–controlling cyborgs, and espionage thrills as Kurogasa becomes a spy and fights the evil Bioroid Dominion and the criminal syndicate NOVA along with the mysterious Kamen Rider Infiltrate and Kamen Rider Secure. Next, in Kamen Rider Funk & Soul, Kurogasa and Koji step into platform shoes as the twin Riders Kamen Rider Funk and Kamen Rider Soul, princes of a groovy kingdom where disco never died as they fight against the monstrous Jiveless who threaten to darken their joyful land!

**Fen:** So now we got Blade, Kabuto, Kiva, W, OOO, Wizard, Duelist, Funk/Soul, and Access… hey… you thinking what I'm thinking?

**SD:** *Grin* you bet I am… Alright, guys, count up how many Rider stories that is right there? Notice anything about that number?

**Fen:** We'll let you ponder for a bit. Anyways, like I said, I got a new chapter of GX: Society of Light and the new 5D's sequel too!

**SD:** *Whispers* If you guys want a hint, look through mine and Fen's stories. There's a clue in one of them… *Wink* …But yes, as you guys can see, we have lots of goodies coming your way!

**Fen:** Now keep in mind people, I also got school going on, so I gotta give attention to that. I don't want to leave the moment I get back.

**SD:** Mhmm… I know what you mean, buddy, finishing up school myself. But don't worry guys, while chapters may not come flying out superfast, we'll keep pushing to give you guys what you want.

**Fen:** Other than that, it's great to be back.

**SD:** Alright, we'll I think that's enough talk for now. So, aibou, what do you say we get this party started, eh?

**Fen:** Let's do this! Here it is! One of my new stories! Or in the case, for my GX story, here's the new chapter!

**SD:** *Takes out Double Driver and Cyclone Memory* Shall we?

**Fen:** *Takes out Double Driver and Joker Memory* We shall.

**CYCLONE!**

**JOKER!**

**Both:** Henshin!

**CYCLONE–JOKER!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto. All creative rights go to Shotaro Ishinomori. Any and all music used in this story, don't belong to me either. I also do not own Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. All creative rights got to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd.

* * *

><p>It happened without warning.<p>

No one knew or saw it coming.

I didn't think that the Apocalypse would come in the form of meteors raining down on Earth.

The land burned, the sea dried, and the sky darkened.

The devastation was total.

Dust covered the entire planet, blotting out all traces of the sun.

We weren't prepared, and most of humanity paid the ultimate price, dying needlessly.

The world as we know it, no longer exists.

My name is Kurogasa Kururugi. I'm 21 years old, having brown hair in a style that one would think I was Kira Yamato from Gundam Seed and have blue eyes. I'm… or rather I _was_ a chef of a diner I used to own. It was a very famous diner and I had lots of customers come in; especially soldiers from the Rubinelle Army. I was just minding my own business cooking… until it happened.

Meteors struck down without warning. Everyone was all in a panic and a lot of explosions took place. The booming noise rang in my ears and I heard the countless screams of people dying. The debris fell all over and I had to somehow protect myself from it. So I hid under the counter, hoping that it would provide me some protection. But it was all in vain as heavier debris crashed down and just like that…

Darkness…

* * *

><p><strong>(Cue Theme D–Technolife by UVERworld)<strong>

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi yo)** The scenery is a barren wasteland, with a sky that blotted out the sun. The camera pans slowly to the right as Kurogasa, with his back facing the camera, looks at the barren wasteland on top of a cliff.  
><strong>(Kesenai kako mo seoiatteikou ikiru koto o nagedasanai de)<strong> The camera then suddenly changes to a close up of Kurogasa's face before it went around his head, the camera's view being blocked momentarily when it reached the back of his head and when the camera finally circles to the side of his face, it showed Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Kabuto, before panning out showing him in his full armor. Looking up at the sky, a ray of light suddenly burst through the clouds shining on Kabuto before the screen goes white.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] tsunaida kimi no te o)** The title Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin appears on the screen and just before the song enters the next phrase, the ZECTers flew, crawled, and hopped around the title from behind and jumped towards the screen before changing to the next scene.

**(Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana)** Koji sits on the edge of his bed, sadly looking at his guitar on one side, his rifle on the other, as Gatack flew up and lands on his shoulder.  
><strong>(Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara)<strong> Rika was in the medical wing of the base, sighing and wiping sweat off her brow as she tries to organize her medical supplies, Sasword crawling around on a table while Brenner, Lin, Isabella, and Will were discussing plans for their next move.

**(Hibiku~ boku wo yobu koe sae kare)** Kurogasa was cooking and Kabuto watched on his shoulder before Kurogasa noticed something from afar on the horizon.  
><strong>(Toki ni sou kaze ni kakikesaretatte)<strong> Drake and TheBee fly past him as we see what Kurogasa was looking out: a swarm of Salis Worms flanking Dr. Caulder with Admiral Greyfield, Waylon, showing up one end of the battlefield along with Tasha and Gage on another end and they sending out their troops alerting the 12th Platoon.

**(Kimi wo mitsu–ke–da–su)** Kurogasa grabs Kabuto and transforms into Kamen Rider Kabuto, before casting off his armor and charging towards Dr. Caulder.

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi mou)** Dr. Caulder snaps his fingers and Kamen Rider Punch and Kick Hopper appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Kabuto for an attack only for the latter to dodge before going to attack them.  
><strong>(Waraenai nante, hito kirai nante kotoba sou iwanaide)<strong> Koji transforms into Kamen Rider Gatack and leads the Tech Platoon with their heavy weapons attacking some of the Salis Worms as Brenner transforms into Kamen Rider TheBee and he, Lin, and Will attack the rest of the forces.  
><strong>(Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara)<strong> Rika and David "Deadeye" Stevens transforms into Kamen Rider Sasword and Kamen Rider Drake respectively and attack some of the Salis Worms.  
><strong>(Ima wa sono mama de ii, kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou [WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH])<strong> As Kurogasa battles Punch Hopper and Kick Hopper, Caulder surprisingly joins in and transforms into Kamen Rider Caucasus, going to punch Kurogasa, only for the latter to dodge and he and Caluder stared each other down.

**(You and Me, two have spoken.)** The Hyper ZECTer appears from the distortion of time and Kurogasa grabs it to become Hyper Kabuto.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] Itsuka wakariaeru kara)** Kurogasa then grabs the Perfect ZECTer and he and Caucasus leap at each other, their attack causing a huge flash of light. When the light fades, we see Kurogasa, Koji, Rika, Brenner, Will, Lin, Isabella, Tasha, Gage, and Stauffenburg looking out into the sunset, the ZECTers with them as well before the song ends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: Days of Ruin<p>

Everything was silent.

Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound.

When I opened my eyes, I saw nothing but darkness. I didn't know where I was… my ears still rang from the explosions I heard earlier, and worst of all… I smelled the scent of flesh.

I knew what that meant. All the people in the restaurant died, and I'm the only one living. I still can't see, but I can tell by the smell that their dead bodies were lying around. As much as I wanted to mourn for theirs deaths, I had to get out of this debris and go above ground. So I slowly dug my way through the debris and pile of bodies, clawing through, in hopes that I would soon get out of this darkness. But that proved to be more difficult because I had an unfortunate injury of having my left arm dislocated. Still, I had to keep going. If I'm going to stay alive, then I have to keep going.

With nothing to eat and drink, I kept crawling my way up to the surface using both my legs and my one good arm. Every now and then, I'd rest from all the digging. Hungry, thirsty, and exhausted, I felt like that I wouldn't be able to make it at all. That soon came to reality as I gradually lost strength, got sick with the fever, and lost oxygen as time passed while coughing badly. And the worst part of all: I began to lose all hope. Is this how it's going to end for me? Am I to die alone in this darkness? …I guess that's what was meant to be.

Wait… What's that light? Could that… be my way out? Yeah… it _has _to be! I'm near!

With new strength, I tried my best to get to that light so I can get to the surface. I crawled and crawled using my legs and right arm, I was so close, but then… my exhaustion got to me… but I can't give up! I _had_ to keep moving…! I _need_ to keep going!

**I WANT TO LIVE!**

Using the last of my strength, I stuck my arm in the light. All I needed to do was push myself; up and out, but… I couldn't do it… I was so exhausted… no… this can't be happening…

I then felt myself beginning to lose consciousness. But as I was fading, I heard something… it sounded like… voices… It almost sounds distorted, but I can hear what the voices were saying and it was the only thing that kept me awake.

"Sir, I got movement in the rubble!" One voice exclaimed. "There's a survivor here!"

"Get 'em outta there now! C'mon, let's go!" Another voice shouted.

That second voice, as I listened to it, sounded rather familiar, though I wasn't sure why at first. I squinted as light hit my eyes and the sound of rocks being moved was heard. Then, I heard the voice again say, though this time only loud enough for me to hear, "K–Kurogasa!?"

I couldn't really see as my vision was still blurry. I've been in the darkness for so long, so I needed to regain my sight, but I knew who the voice belonged to. Or at least I _thought_ I knew who the voice belonged to. "K… K–Koji…" I wheezed.

Upon hearing me say his name, I heard "Koji" shout, "Corporal, get a medic over here and bring him to Ri– the doctor!"

"You got it, Sarge!" the corporal replied before rushing off.

"The rest of you, let's get these rocks off of him!" "Koji" shouted. "Private, get the power saw. We're gonna need to cut that beam. It's too big to move as a whole."

"Yes sir!"

"C'mon, let's go! Move it! Move it! Move it!" "Koji" ordered, before saying to me, "Don't worry buddy. I'm gonna get you outta there, just hang on!"

It seemed like forever, but after only a few minutes, "Koji"'s men had gotten enough rubble off of me to pull me out of the debris pit I was stuck in. They laid me down on one of the bigger boulders just as the soldier Koji sent to get help returned with two medics.

"I got the medics, Sergeant!" the Corporal replied. "We'll get the civilian back to Battalion HQ and get the doctor to look at him right away."

"Thanks, Kowalski." "Koji" said as I was loaded onto a stretcher. "Hang in there, pal. You'll be in good hands. I'll come see you as soon as I can."

That was the last thing I heard before my vision darkened and I passed out.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, a few miles away from the wreckage of a city, a group of black armored soldiers wearing helmets that seemed to have been based on insects, were in the middle of an intense conflict with strange alien creatures.<em>

_"Keep firing! Don't let the Worms near the package! We must protect it at all cost!" One man shouted._

_"But, sir, they keep Clocking Up! We can't keep up with them!" Another shouted as he fired at a fast moving blur, only to have it easily dodge the blasts._

_"Platoon B, give me a sitrep on the package!" A third shouted at his communicator._

**["Not good! We're getting the connection devices stored in a jeep for evac, but I don't know if we can hold them off long enough to get them out of here!"]**_ The soldier on the other end said._

_"Crap…" the third soldier said just before getting knocked to the side by one of the fast moving blurs._

_"There's too many! We can't hold them off much longer!"_

_Just then, one of the blurs slammed into the back of one of the trucks, knocking one of the cases to the ground. Out of it came flying what appeared to be a red mechanical rhinoceros beetle. Attached to its feet was some silver belt buckle._

_"Oh no, come back here!" A voice said in the truck as it belonged to a scientist and he came out of the truck carrying a silver briefcase. However, the robotic beetle did not listen and kept flying away. "Impossible…" Growling, he then looked to the opened briefcase and saw that within four similar robotic insects were still inside it: a blue stag beetle, a yellow wasp, a cyan dragonfly, and a purple scorpion. Also in the briefcase was, another silver belt buckle, a grip, a sword, and a brace along with a weapon that was a mix of an axe and gun together. It also looked like a kunai of sorts can be pulled out too. Grunting, he finally said, "Well, I can at least get these ones to safety." Closing up the briefcase, he put it and the one he was carrying into a jeep, as the soldiers kept the aliens busy._

_However, bad luck was on his side as one of the blurs slammed into the back of the jeep and the briefcase holding the mechanical fell out and the mechanical bugs inside got out and escaped, leaving their attachment devices behind._

_"NOOO, COME BACK!" He shouted, but his calls were for naught. The stag beetle, wasp, and dragonfly all flew away as the scorpion scuffled away as quickly as possible on and into the ground, all four of them splitting off into different directions. The scientist then hung his head low as he said, "Oh, my bosses are gonna kill me…"_

_A solider ran up to him and asked, "Hey, what happened to the package?!"_

_The scientist gulped. "Umm… Part of it is here," he smiled nervously, sweating profusely._

_"You let the ZECTers escape?!"_

_"I didn't really have the chance to stop them!" The scientist defended. "It was either let them go and secure the rest of the package, or risk losing what we still have in order to chase down the ZECTers!"_

_"Well get them back!" The soldier shouted._

_"ME?" The scientist bellowed, seeming offended. "I'm just a scientist! _You're_ the soldier! _You_ get them back!"_

_"I can't right now! It's either you retrieve the ZECTers back or stay here and die!" The soldier said before running off to take care of the aliens._

_The scientist grumbled as he watched the soldier run off. "Wait a minute… I got the jeep. I got the gun and the attachment devices! _Let_ them take the fall!" The scientist then got in the jeep, revved up the engine, and drove off as fast as he could._

* * *

><p>What happened to me? Where am I? The last thing I remember was being buried in the rubble until I was supposedly saved by Koji. I was barely conscious, but I could still hear distorted voices. There were voices of distress and panic around me. What's going on?<p>

"Get him to the operating table, stat!" A second familiar voice shouted. "Nurse, get me 20 mg of morphine!"

"Yes ma'am!"

That first voice… Rika…?

I then felt myself lifted through the air, a couple of military medics lifting me onto the operating table. Then, I heard "Rika" say to me as she got into the scrubs, "Hang in there, Kurogasa! Just hang on!"

I wanted to say something, but I couldn't. I was too hurt and injured to say anything.

"Okay, let's go now people! We need to pop his dislocated arm back into place and fix any injury he sustained from the debris!" "Rika" said.

From there, my memory went hazy. I caught glimpses here and there of what was going on around me, but just flashes. Nurses with their tools poking at my body, "Rika" and one or two other doctors discussing things to give me as they tried to close my wounds, and then everything went black for a while…

* * *

><p><em>It was hard work as Rika and the nurses were working for two hours straight, but in the end, Kurogasa's arm was finally popped back into place and the nurses patched up any injuries that he sustained while he was buried in the debris. Rika wiped the sweat off her forehead after the scary two hours they went through. "Whew… good work people… Let's stitch him up and get him into the recovery area."<em>

_This was Rika Ryusaki, a civilian doctor who now works for the 12th Battalion of the Rubinelle Armed Forces. She had long burgundy hair that fell to her mid–back and has brown eyes and at the moment, she wore surgeon clothes, but will soon get out of it. While the nurses were tending to Kurogasa, Rika took off her surgeon mask and went outside the tent, seeing two commanding officers waiting outside._

_One of them was a man who was in mid–20's having tannish white hair and black goatee with a scar on his left cheek. He wore a long sleeved tan combat jacket and pants decorated with segmented brown shoulder, elbow, and knee pads, a belt, and a pair of boots. He also sported the 12th Battalion crest on the left sleeve of his jacket. He looked rough, but his face shows that he was kind._

_This was Captain Brenner, leader and commander of the 12th Battalion._

_The other was female and Asian descent having long, flowing, black hair that fell to her lower back, wearing tan combat pants and brown boots, but she was wearing a sleeveless long tan trench coat that fell to her thighs, and was equipped with the same brown segmented shoulder pads. The coat was open to reveal a black sleeveless shirt that was short and exposed her stomach._

_This was Captain Brenner's, First Lieutenant, Lin._

_Brenner looked to Rika as she approached them and said, "How is our rescued civilian doing, Dr. Ryusaki?"_

_"He's fine. He'll make a recovery." Rika sighed._

_"That's good to hear." Brenner nodded._

_"It seems like you know him too." Lin added._

_Rika nodded as she said, "Yeah, he's one of my best friends. He, Ko– I mean, Staff Sergeant Shinamori, and I grew up together."_

_"I see. Well that explains it." Brenner said._

_The three then heard someone calling out and turned around to see Koji running towards them, "Rika!"_

_Koji was a 22 year old young man, standing about 5'10" with tan skin and dark brown hair and eyes. His hair was usually worn long in a surfer cut. However, to fit more in his uniform, he wore it neatly tied back in a ponytail. Down the side of his right eye was a long scar of an old combat wound. He was dressed in desert style fatigues with the sleeves rolled up over his elbows with tan combat boots on. On his head he wore a black military beret with the insignia for a Rubinelle Armed Forces combat technician and around his waist was a brown gear belt that included his pistol. "How's Kurogasa doing? Is he alright?"_

_"He'll be fine. He just got out of surgery." Rika answered._

_Koji sighed in relief. "Phew… that's a big relief."_

_Lin nodded at Koji as she said, "You did a good job out there, Sergeant. If it hadn't been for you and your platoon, we might not have found any survivors."_

_"The world's been a living hell ever since those meteors hit." Koji reminded. "I'm just glad I was able to find my other best friend. It wouldn't be the same without him."_

_Brenner nodded before he grinned with a closed smile, patting Koji on the arm as he said, "Still, nice work out there, Sergeant. You and your men did well."_

_"Thanks Captain." Koji grinned back._

* * *

><p>"Ugh… my head…" I groaned.<p>

As I finally came to, I found myself in a makeshift recovery room, sitting up slightly and dressed in hospital robes. I had an IV sticking out of my left arm, bandages over several parts of my body, and in all different parts of my body, I felt either in pain or numb from where the morphine was still in effect.

"You're awake!" A voice said.

"Heya buddy." Another greeted casually.

Blinking, I saw two people coming in. Much to my disbelief, it turned out I was not delusional or dreaming when I thought I heard their voices. It really _was_ Koji and Rika. "You guys! You're here! …Wherever _here_ is!"

"Oh Kurogasa, you're okay!" Rika said as she ran over to and hugged me.

I comically, flailed about when she hugged me tight, "Itetetetetetete!"

She then let go of me and blushed bashfully as she said, "Sorry… It's just, gosh, we were worried about you."

"I know you were." I whimpered a bit. "Where _are_ we anyway?"

"We're at the HQ for the 12th Battalion of the Rubinelle Armed Forces." Koji explained.

"The… 12th Battalion HQ…?" I asked.

Koji nodded as he sat down next to Koji, taking off his beret. "Yeah, it's the Rubinelle Army unit I'm attached to. I'm the platoon sergeant for the 12th's Tech Platoon, their combat technicians."

"Oh…" I said.

"I see you're awake." A voice said. The three of us turned around and I saw two people coming in. One of them was a man who was in mid–20's having tannish white hair and black goatee with a scar on his left cheek and he wore a uniform like Koji's. He looked rough, but his face shows that he was kind.

The other was female and Asian descent having long, flowing, black hair that fell to her lower back, wearing tan combat pants and brown boots, but she was wearing a sleeveless long tan trench coat that fell to her thighs, and was equipped with the same brown segmented shoulder pads. The coat was open to reveal a black sleeveless shirt that was short and exposed her stomach.

I slightly blushed at seeing her.

"Captain Brenner, sir!" Koji said, immediately standing up to face him and giving him a salute.

Brenner put his hand up to Koji as he said, "At ease, Staff Sergeant." Looking to me, he then said, extending his hand, "I'm Captain Brenner, commanding officer of the Rubinelle Army's 12th Battalion."

"Kurogasa Kururugi. It's nice to meet you." I said extending my hand and we both shook.

"And this is my First Lieutenant, Lin." Brenner gestured to her.

"Welcome to Brenner's Wolves." Lin nodded.

"Uh… thanks." I said, with me still slightly blushing. I have to admit, Lin looks cute in that uniform. Wait, what am I saying?!

Koji smirked at me knowingly, causing me to shoot him a glare. He had a much better way with women than I did. He chuckled a bit, at my expense before saying, "You know, Lieutenant, Kurogasa is actually quite the chef."

"Koji, what are you doing man?" I hissed.

Lin looked to Brenner as she said, "That could be handy, Captain. With our chef killed earlier, we could use someone who could cook actual food. Otherwise, we'll run out of field rations too soon."

"That's true." Brenner pondered.

"Uh…" I said dumbly.

"Oh don't worry Captain and Lieutenant; He's the head chef of his own diner and he makes the best burgers and fries in all of Rubinelle." Koji grinned, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

Rika nodded in agreement as she said, "Not just that, but a lot of other food as well: fried chicken, steak, and a whole lot of other stuff."

"And he makes a _really_ good Cookies 'n Cream milkshake." Koji added.

"Guy~s…" I blushed bashfully.

Brenner chuckled as he said, "Alright, alright, Sergeant and Doctor, you've sold me." Looking to me, he then said, "So then Kurogasa, how would you like to travel around with my soldiers as our cook?"

"Well…" I began, thinking about it.

"I understand it's very sudden, but with how the world is now…"

"Yeah…" I mumbled. "I can still remember it clear as day. One minute I was minding my own business cooking and the next… bam, the meteors hit out of nowhere…"

Koji nodded as he said, "Yeah… We're still trying to assess the damage, but overall… we're thinking the meteor shower brought on cataclysmic damage… to the entire planet."

"What? Are you serious?" I gasped in horror.

"If you don't believe me, look outside." Koji said.

"I'll help you up." Rika offered. I nodded at that and I slowly got off the bed. With the help of Rika and Koji, I slowly walked to the entrance of the tent and when we opened up the big flaps serving as the door, my eyes widened in horror. The landscape had drastically changed. The once luscious green country of life has now become a barren wasteland of death. It was all rock and dirt, buildings were destroyed and beyond repair, and the atmosphere was blotted with dust and ash, not letting a ray of sunlight break through.

"No way…" I got out. I was so shocked, my knees suddenly buckled and Koji and Rika caught me.

Koji sighed sadly as he lifted me up back into bed. "Yeah… It's that bad. The sheer amount of dust sent up into the atmosphere blocked out a fair amount of the sun's rays, hence why any plants that survived are struggling to grow."

"Not only that… it's hard to find any livestock. Last month, we just finished the last batch of chicken and we've been eating spare rations since." Rika added.

I looked to Rika and asked, "Speaking _of_, Rika… You never joined the military. How'd you wind up with _them_?"

"I ended up like _you_ one time. I was buried in the rubble and was hurt until Koji and his platoon dug me out of there."

Koji's usual confident look and boyish smirk turned serious as he said, "I was lucky I found her… She was in worse condition than _you_ were in. I was just glad to see that she made it out alright."

"I see." I nodded.

"So in a nutshell, the meteors made this world a barren wasteland and we have to deal with it." Lin said.

"And we, Brenner's Wolves have made it our mission to look for survivors and care for them too." Brenner added.

"Hm…" I said. I was thinking for a while before turning to Brenner. "Well in that case… Captain Brenner, I'd be honored to help out become the 12th Battalion's chef. Just get me a frying pan and a chef's hat, and I'll get cooking."

Brenner laughed as he said, "Outstanding! Though, looking at you, I think it might be in your best interest to let yourself heal first, before heading into the kitchen."

"Okay."

*GURGLE*

Everyone looked at me and I looked down at my stomach before looking back up at them with a sweat drop and sheepish laugh, "And I'll probably need something to eat too while I'm at it."

Everyone in the room looked at me incredulously before bursting out into laughter. Koji, being the first to stop laughing, gently tapped my leg before saying, "Don't worry, bro, we'll get you some food."

"Just don't get too excited." Brenner said, after he stopped laughing. "All we got for now is canned bread and a bunch of energy bars."

"That's fine by me." I said.

* * *

><p>So for a number of days, I've been focused on healing myself to full health and after those days, I was ready to go. Of course, I was still in hospital clothes, so I had to change. Fortunately, Brenner surprisingly had for me a spare chef uniform I can use that were my size and after changing…<p>

"Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the new and improved Kurogasa: Official Chef of the 12th Battalion!" I declared after coming into the Briefing Room. I had on a pair of pants that were woodland style fatigues, a meshing of green, brown, and black colors with black combat boots, an olive green t–shirt, and a chef skull cap.

Koji, who was at a table reviewing some maps with Lieutenant Lin, grinned at me as he said, "Not bad, Kurogasa, not bad. You _almost_ look like a soldier!"

"Heh… thanks." I grinned back.

Lin looked at me and raised an eyebrow as she did. "I have to agree. It's not bad."

I blushed, bright red as I scratched the back of my head sheepishly at Lin's compliment. "Uh… thanks."

I saw Koji smiling mischievously, and I glared at him. It's _always_ like this. I have a weakness for the girls' charm and whenever I blush, Koji would usually joke me and this is no exception.

"Hey, Kurogasa, what's wrong, buddy? Are you feeling warm in here? You look red." he said with his usual grin.

"Red because you're starting to irritate me." I growled a bit.

Lin chuckled as she said, "Would you two like to be alone? I don't want to get in the way of a lover's spat."

As I looked at her flabbergasted, Koji laughed and said, "Oh don't worry, LT, we'll be fine again after we have our makeup session."

"I don't roll that way! C'mere so I can strangle you!" I shouted before I ran to him and _he_ ran away.

"Oh, Kurogasa, I love it when you chase me, baby!" Koji yelled at me teasingly.

"SHUT UP!"

That was when both of us were suddenly stopped and our ears were pinched by… Rika!?

"Koji… Kurogasa…" Rika said irritated and I think I heard a vessel pop in her head.

I gulped in terror as I looked to Rika and asked, "Um… Y–Yes, Rika…?"

"Why am I seeing you two acting like little kids?" Rika growled.

Koji, unable to resist, teasing me, said, "Because Kurogasa isn't ready to admit the bond we have between us!"

*PINCH!*

"AH! Itetetetetetete! Okay, okay! I was teasing Kurogasa about his weakness to girls!" Koji winced in pain as Rika pinched his ear.

"Mattaku mou, you're _always_ like this." Rika sighed before she turned to me. "And you need to stop overreacting!"

I groaned at her as I said, "I can't help it. I try not to…"

*PINCH!*

I flailed about as Rika pinched my ear hard, "Itetetetetetetetetetetete!"

"Try harder next time!"

"OKAY, OKAY, OKAY! I WILL! OW! SORRY! I'LL TRY! NOW PLEASE, LET GO!"

Rika let go, making us rub our ears in pain.

"Impressive." Lin said.

Rika smirked as she said, "I've been keeping these boys in line for years!"

Lin chuckled as she said, "I think you could teach some drill sergeants a thing or two."

"Maybe, but I'll stick with the doctor business for now."

Just then, Brenner came into the briefing room, as he stopped himself from running. "Everyone, grab your gear! Scouts have found a survivor and raiders are harassing him!"

Koji immediately got into his soldier mode as he asked, "What kind of raiders, Captain?"

"The ones led by The Beast himself." Brenner frowned.

Koji looked at his CO in disbelief, "Again?! That's the third time this week we ran into him!"

"Who's The Beast?" I raised an eyebrow.

Koji groaned as he said, "The Beast is a Rubinelle Army deserter. He used to serve as a special operations soldier, but after the meteor strike, he decided to capitalize on the chaos by turning his force into a pirate band, attacking people at will for whatever they have."

"Why do _that_? It's ridiculous!" I said a bit angry.

"Ever since those meteors hit, it's always been about survival and people will do any and all means to survive." Brenner reminded.

Lin nodded in agreement as she said, "Not to mention how easy it is. In effect, our battalion has been operating on our own. High Command was destroyed during the shower, making it near impossible to coordinate with other units. It made it simple for him to rogue."

"How many are we dealing with here?" Koji asked.

"He's sent in a pretty large group. Three tanks, supported by six or seven Humvees equipped for convoy escort, and I'd say two platoons of infantry soldiers with a squad carrying heavy ordinance: rocket launchers, mainly." Brenner explained.

"He's using all of that on one survivor?!" Rika gawked. "That's overkill!"

Brenner scoffed as he said, "Apparently he had been raiding a nearby town, taking supplies from some survivors and found this one on the way back to their base."

"Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go save that survivor sir!" Koji urged.

Brenner gave a nod as he said, "I'm with you. Sergeant Shinamori, take Tech Platoon and take care of those tanks. I'll send 1st Platoon with two our own tanks to cover you. Sneak behind their lines, set the demo–charges on the tanks and blow them up."

"Yes sir!" Koji saluted.

"Uh… what can _I_ do?" I asked. "I know I'm a chef and all, but…"

Koji looked to me and said, looking concerned, "Bud, I'm not sure you _can_ do anything. I mean, you're not a soldier. Have you even fired a gun before?"

"Um… no…" I answered.

Koji sighed as he said, "Then it's probably best you just stay here, Kurogasa. Let me and the troops handle this."

"I guess…" I sighed.

"If you wanna help, you can cook until we get back. That way, when we get back, we can have food as our reward." Brenner suggested with a closed grin. Koji looked to me one last time, patting my arm and giving me as best of an encouraging smile as he could before he ran out to meet with his soldiers.

"Yes sir." I nodded.

"Good." Brenner nodded before turning to his First Lieutenant. "Let's go Lin. You and I will lead a squad to extract the survivor out of there, personally." Brenner said.

"Yes sir!" Lin nodded before the two ran out the briefing room, leaving only Rika and I.

Rika looked to me, placing her hand on my shoulder as she asked, "You okay?"

"I'll be fine." I sighed. "I just wish there was something more I can do other than cook."

Rika sighed too as she said, "I know. But hey, I mean… we all have our jobs in the unit. If it weren't for you cooking or me patching our troops up, the battalion couldn't help people."

"That's true." I shrugged. "Well, I guess we can pass the time doing our thing."

* * *

><p><em>"Oh man, where are those ZECTers?" The scientist groaned.<em>

_Even though he had fled the battlefield, not wanting to deal with that soldier, he tried to find the ZECTers as he drove to the base. "At least I know the red one isn't very far thanks to my GPS. It's good to know that I can track these ZECTers with it…"_

_Honing in on its signal, he floored the pedal to the ground and sped after it._

_However, unbeknownst to the scientist, a strange creature was following him._

_The creature was an odd, insectoid looking being, with an emerald green color. Its shiny exoskeleton gave it the appearance of an insect chrysalis given humanoid form. While it's left hand had five fingers, albeit clawed ones, the right hand had instead three: a normal sized thumb and two very long scythe–like claws. However, perhaps most bizarre was that extending from its skeletal torso were what appeared to be the bones of two arms reaching up to cover the eyes of its face which looked like a smiling human skull._

_The strange creature looked around for a while, before looking at the direction the jeep was watching. With a strange growl, it went on its way towards its target._

* * *

><p><em>Cover fire! Cover fire! Give Shinamori cover fire!" Brenner shouted as a fire fight ensued.<em>

_The battle ensuing was, quite simply, crazy. Despite being outmatched, the soldiers of the 12th Battalion's 1st Platoon and their two tanks were doing well against the Beast's forces. They had managed to damage one of the Beast's three tanks and destroy four of six Humvees. Also, several of his soldiers had already been killed. That being said, though, the enemy had managed to surround Brenner and his men. However, he needed to buy time for Staff Sergeant Koji Shinamori and Tech Platoon to sneak over to the enemy lines and set the demo–charges on the enemy tanks and Humvees._

_"Alright," Koji said as quietly as he could over the radio to his men as they snuck over, avoiding stray fire and grenades, "I'm going to take A, C, and D Squads to take out the tanks. Sergeant Rusk, you and B Squad rig those Humvees."_

**["Got it, Boss,"]**_ Rusk said over the other end of the radio as his squad broke off._

_"Shinamori to Lin, do you copy? What's your current status of extracting the survivor?" Koji asked._

**["I'm taking 1st Platoon's E Squad to his position. We're about half a click away. What's the status of Tech Platoon, Staff Sergeant?"]**_ She asked._

_"Squad B's about to rig the remaining Humvees. Squads A, C, and D are going for the tanks." Koji answered._

**["Alright, well you better move it. The rest of 1st Platoon is starting to feel the heat!"] **_The lieutenant replied._

_"We're on it, over and out." Koji said. He then signaled his soldiers to speed as much as they could while keeping hidden. At last, they managed to climb up over the ridge and get to the enemy vehicles. "Alright, let's see what we can do here…" He said to himself before signaling one of his men to toss him the first demo–charge. The said man gave him the demo–charge and signaled two of his men to come with and guard him. The two men complied and they quietly went over to one tank without the enemy seeing them before placing the demo–charge on the tank._

_Koji then tapped his radio and said, "A Squad report: demo–charge set. What's the status of the other squads?"_

**["C Squad report: demo–charge set."]**_ One voice said._

**["D Squad report: demo–charge set."]**_ Another said. _**["We're good to go."]**

_"Alright, let's pull out." Koji said._

_As they started to move back, he suddenly heard gunfire that was way too close to be from the main battle. _**["Staff Sergeant Shinamori, this is Sergeant Rusk! B Squad has been detected and we are taking enemy fire!"]**

_Koji's eyes widened, "What?!"_

**["We need some cover fire! Requesting backup!"]**

_"Err… Dang it," Koji growled, clenching his fist before replying, "Alright, we're on our way! Tech Platoon, move out!" Sliding his rifle off his back, he and his men surprised the Beast's soldiers that were attacking B Squad by popping up behind them as they began their attack to rescue their comrades._

_"WHAT! Where did these punks come from?" The Beast roared. _

_The Beast was a monster of a man. Standing close to six and a half feet tall, he had a rich tan on his muscular flesh. He had long brown hair worn down in a wild man style with a full beard, a yellow bandana on his head, no shirt, green fatigue pants, dog tags, yellow arm bands, tribal tattoos all over his body, a full gear belt, and two belts of ammunition for his automatic rifle._

_"Well, well, well, we meet again." Koji gritted._

_"Huh?" The Beast said, before noticing him. "You…! You're that punk that almost shot my head off!"_

_Koji then smirked as he said, "Glad to see you recognized me. I'll make sure not to miss this time. Tech Platoon, take 'em down!"_

_"Yes sir!" His men said, before taking aim._

_"Urgh… Get them, boys! And a bonus goes to the one who brings me the head of their leader!" The Beast shouted as he brought out his rifle._

_The Beast's men took aim too and fired, making Koji's team take cover._

_"Man, not what I had in mind!" Koji gritted._

**["Koji, can you hear me?! It's Rika!"]**_ Her voice panicked on Koji's radio._

_Grunting as he just ducked back down in time to avoid having a bullet go into his eye, Koji replied, "Rika, this isn't exactly a good time right now!"_

**["It's Kurogasa!"]**_ Rika said._

_"What _about_ him?"_

**["He's– He's–"]**

* * *

><p><strong>30 minutes earlier…<strong>

"Okay, the food is set to go." I grinned to myself looking at the table of food. I was in the makeshift mess hall using the spare rations that the platoon and with Rika and some soldiers helping me out, we were able to cook up a mean dinner.

Rika smiled as she said, "It looks delicious, Kurogasa. And it's certainly better than what we've been having the past few weeks."

"Well, it's a good thing Koji came to my rescue, otherwise I'd stay six feet under forever." I said.

Rika chuckled as she said, "Well, we're all glad that he found you. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you."

"Yeah, I'm glad too." I smiled gently.

Just then, a soldier came into the mess hall. "Sir, the scouts have reported a jeep coming towards our base."

"Huh? But, Captain Brenner and those soldiers from 1st Platoon and Tech Platoon didn't _take_ any jeeps." I replied confused.

"Well, it's certainly not one of ours." The soldier said.

"Is it the enemy?" Rika gasped.

"To be honest, we're not sure ma'am." The soldier replied.

Looking to one another, Rika and I nodded at each other before following the soldier out of the mess hall and to where the jeep was.

Stepping out of was a very nervous looking man who, looking at his lab coat, appeared to be some sort of scientist. He was talking very nervously to himself as we approached. "Oh man, why… I thought I was heading in the direction of _my_ base… Oh, man, I hope these guys aren't raiders…"

"Uh… can we help you?" I asked confused, raising an eyebrow.

The man gave a very unmanly yelp, leaping into the arms of the soldier next to him who promptly dropped him. When he got up and dusted himself off, he said, trying to be as brave as he could, "W-When ZECT hears–hears what you're doing to me… You–You'll b–be sorry!"

Rika looked confused, "ZECT?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

The scientist blinked in confusion at me before saying, "Y–You're not… You're not going to hold me hostage? Torture me for information on the devices?"

"Why _would_ we? I'm just a chef."

"And I'm a doctor. This is the 12th Battalion HQ of the Rubinelle Armed Forces." Rika said.

The scientist breathed a sigh of relief as he said, "Oh, thank the stars! I've been rescued by civilized people!" Sitting down on the front of his jeep, he then added, "I suppose then I can introduce myself: I'm Dr. Heinrich von Stauffenburg, I'm an electrical engineer and was one of Rubinelle's leading minds in the field of artificial intelligence."

"You mean like aliens?" I asked.

Stauffenburg shook his head. "You're thinking of _extraterrestrial_ intelligence. I'm talking about _artificial_ intelligence, like androids, robots, and the like."

"Oh…" I said dumbly.

I'm Dr. Rika Ryusaki. I'm the battalion's doctor and this is my friend Kurogasa Kururugi. He's the chef." Rika introduced. "What's a scientist like you doing all the way out here?"

Stauffenburg looked both ways quickly, as if he was trying to see if he was being watched. "I was being attacked." he finally admitted.

"Attacked? Attacked by what exactly?" I asked.

"Sorry, but that's kinda classified."

"Huh?" Rika and I said in disbelief.

Stauffenburg sighed as he said, "I'm sorry, but the company I work for, ZECT, was very clear that I keep what I'm doing a secret."

"What's ZECT?" Rika questioned.

"Sorry, but that's classified too."

Rika and I deflated at that.

"C'mon, how can we help you if you keep your mouth shut?" I asked.

The scientist sighed as he said, "I'm sorry, but I just can't– YOOOOOOOOU!" He suddenly shouted, leaping off the front of the jeep and pointing somewhere behind me. "Do you have _any_ idea how much trouble you and your friends have put me through!?"

"Uh… what are you doing?" I asked confused.

"Sorry, he's talking to me." A voice said from behind me.

"Huh? Who said that?" I asked looking around wildly.

"Over here." The voice said. I looked over my left shoulder and saw… a hand–sized red mechanical Japanese rhinoceros beetle? "Hi!"

"Whoa!" Rika and I said startled as we backed off and the strange mechanical beetle got off my shoulder and hovered in the air.

As I looked at the thing in amazement, it flew close up to me and said happily, "My name's Kabuto… What's _your_ name?"

"Um… Kurogasa…" I said uncertain.

The robot beetle flew around me a few times, making me feel like it was sizing me up. "Hmmm… I like you! A lot more than that stuffy scientist over there, anyway."

"Who are you calling stuffy?!" Stauffenburg snapped.

The beetle seemed to ignore him, so Rika asked, "Um… Hi there, Kabuto. I'm Rika. I, uh… I don't mean to sound rude, but… what… exactly are you? I've never seen anything like you before."

"Oh me? I'm a ZECTer!"

Rika and I looked at the mechanical beetle strangely, "A ZECTer?" we asked. But before he could say anymore, Stauffenburg grabbed the mechanical beetle to shut him up.

"What are you doing?! That's classified!"

Kabuto struggled in Stauffenburg's hands, trying to get out as he mumbled out, "Remme ger, I wusn't phinished talkun (Lemme go, I wasn't finished talking)!"

"Well, that's enough talking out of you Mister!" Stauffenburg snapped.

All of a sudden, we heard gunfire, *RATATATATATATATATATATA!*

Stauffenburg shrieked, "AHHHH!" letting go of Kabuto as he leapt into the air, this time… grabbing onto my head like a koala, causing me to fall over.

"Get off of me!" I snapped. I pushed Stauffenburg off of me as I got myself back onto my feet.

Kabuto floated next to my head as he said, "Uh–oh, sounds like we got trouble comin'!"

"What's going on?" Rika asked.

"Ahhhhh, what are you?! Get away from me!" A voice shouted.

"Keep firing! Keep firing!" Another shouted.

Kabuto then gasped as he shouted, "Oh no! The Worm found us!"

Now I was _really _confused, "Worm?" I asked.

"As in like an earthworm?" Rika added.

"Not _that_ kind of Worm. I meant an alien Worm that came from outer space thanks to those meteors that hit this planet!"

Rika and I looked at the mechanical beetle in shock, "WHAT?!"

Kabuto then looked to me confused as he said, "You mean you guys didn't know?"

"NO!"

"Oh…" Kabuto replied before turning to us as he said, "Well, those Worms are alien invaders capable of copying the identities of life forms they come in contact with. They came in those meteorites to take over Earth!"

"Kabuto, that's classified!" Stauffenburg shouted.

Kabuto looked to him and gave Stauffenburg a big "SHOOSH!" Then, turning back to me, he asked, "You wanna help me defeat this one, Kurogasa?"

"Me? How could _I_ help? I'm just a chef!" I said incredulously.

Kabuto got very close to my face as he said, "You may think you're just a chef, but I can see you got the heart of warrior in you. If you team up with me, I can help you transform into a Kamen Rider!"

"A… Kamen Rider?" I asked.

"Man, you ask a lot of questions." Kabuto said.

"That's because we're dealing with something unknown and we need to know." I pointed out.

"Look out!" The soldier that accompanied us, shouted.

We ducked just in time to avoid being knocked over by another soldier that was thrown through the air. "What the–" Was all the time I had to say before I finally saw it, the Worm Kabuto had told us about.

"What the heck is _that_?!" Rika said horrified.

"That's the Worm I talked about!" Kabuto pointed out.

It was insectoid like, with an emerald green color. Its shiny exoskeleton gave the appearance of an insect chrysalis given humanoid form. Its left hand had five fingers, albeit clawed ones, the right hand had instead three: a normal sized thumb and two very long scythe–like claws. However, perhaps most bizarre was that extending from its skeletal torso were what appeared to be the bones of two arms reaching up to cover the eyes of its face which looked like a smiling human skull.

Rika gagged as she said, "It's disgusting!"

Kabuto then nudged as he said, "Well, what are you waiting for!? Let's do it, aibou!"

"Uh…" I said uncertain. But before anything could happen, I noticed something strange with the Worm. "Kabuto…? What's happening to that thing now?" I asked as the Worm suddenly letting off steam and was changing color.

The mechanical beetle gasped as he said, "Oh no! It's changing form! It's maturing! Once it breaks out of its cocoon, it'll be more powerful!"

"Are you serious?!" I asked in disbelief. After a few seconds, it shed off its green pupa form to reveal an even _more_ disgusting insectoid.

When the thing finally evolved, the Worm appeared to be a humanoid locust. It had a yellowish green exoskeleton with bulging purple eyes. Coming from its head were long antennae. Its legs were long and bent back for jumping. Underneath the shell of its back were three pairs of reflective, rainbow-like wings. And at the end of its arms were scythe–like blades like those of a praying mantis. This was the Locust Worm.

"Yabai… this isn't good…" Kabuto whimpered.

All of a sudden, the Locust Worm was gone in a flash.

"What the–"

"Oh no, it Clocked Up!"

"What does that mean?" Rika asked in a panic, trying to see the creature.

"The Worm's moving at the speed of light!"

I asked in shock, "The speed of light?! How is that possible!?" before seeing several of the soldiers on the base go flying.

"Oh man, this isn't good!" Stauffenburg said. "Alright, normally I wouldn't do this, but there's no other way. Kurogasa, I'll allow you to use Kabuto!"

"Wait, what?!" I asked confused. "What are ya talking about?"

"Kabuto, where's the Rider belt you carried around?!" Stauffenburg asked the ZECTer, ignoring me.

Kabuto titled himself up, so his horn was pointing upwards, revealing the Rider Belt was still attached to his feet. "It's right here!"

"How did it get _there_?" I asked baffled. "I didn't see you carry that on your feet!"

"I folded it up to my underside!" Kabuto shouted. "Now come on! Let's do this!" He then tossed me the Rider Belt. "Put it on your waist like a belt buckle!"

"Uh… okay?" I said, before I did what Kabuto told me to do. Suddenly, a belt extended from the buckle, going around my waist and attaching to the other side. "Alright, what do I do next?"

"Let me do the rest!" Kabuto said before flying around me and finding the tracks on the buckle, he slid on and locked into place and I heard mechanical sounds after he shouted, "Henshin!"

**HENSHIN!**

Suddenly hexagon panels formed from my belt and it kept spreading out all over my body until I was finally encased in the stuff. For some reason I don't know, I knew what I looked like.

My body was concealed in a black bodysuit, but the rest of it was concealed in heavy steel armor. The torso was thick and blocky with a high collar and the only color is around the collarbone area. The shoulder plating is rounded with silver steel and red on the undersides. Black disks reside near the joints, and the left one sported a red rhino beetle insignia for its makers, ZECT. The arms are layered with circular metal segments protecting the arms, and the helmet was also a piece of thick silver steel complete with a round blue visor and a crest of horns on the forehead.

I touched myself all over my legs, chest, arms, and head, looking down. "Eh? EH?! EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!"

"You like your new look?" Kabuto asked cheekily. "Kurogasa, you're now Kamen Rider Kabuto in Masked Form! Now, we can start kicking some Worm butt!"

"Yeah, but I'm not exactly the fighting type!" I pointed out.

"Just trust your instincts! And if you really need help, I can help!"

"O–Ok." I nodded.

That's when Rika ran, found, and got a radio from the supply tent. "Koji, can you hear me?! It's Rika!" She panicked.

**["Rika, this isn't exactly a good time right now!"]** Koji shouted back over the other end.

"It's Kurogasa!"

**["What **_**about**_** him?"]**

"He's– He's–"

**["He's what!? Is he okay!? Is– DANG! Those bullets are getting **_**way**_** too close!"]**

"Just get over here! You need to see this!" Rika shouted before turning off the radio.

As Rika finished, I suddenly felt something powerful slam into me, sending me flying backwards, "AHHH!"

"Kurogasa," Rika cried out, as I landed on my back.

"Ow…" I groaned.

Kabuto groaned in frustration as he said, "Maybe you're gonna need more help than I thought."

* * *

><p><em>"Rika, are you there?! Come in, Rika!" Koji shouted, but there was no answer. "Crap!" He gritted before radioing Brenner. "Captain, I just got word from HQ! Something's going on over there!"<em>

**["Copy that, Sarge! We appreciate the stop in fire from those tanks, but where are you and your men?"] **_Brenner inquired._

_"We're being pinned down here by The Beast and his men! I need some cover fire! What's the status of the extraction of the survivor?"_

**["We got him."]**_ Lin replied, _**["But we need a speedy way to get him back to base!"]**

_Koji suddenly smirked before firing a few rounds at the Beast's men. "Then maybe it's a good thing B Squad wasn't able to plant the charges on the Humvees."_

**["You got a plan?"]**_ Lin asked._

_"Yeah, I got one. I'll steal one of their Humvees and we'll get back to base that way! Captain, Lieutenant, get the survivor ready! As soon as I pull up to ya, we're going!"_

**["Nice job, Shinamori!"]**_ Brenner praised. _**["But move quickly! We need to deal with whatever disturbance is at the base!"]**

_"Copy that, over and out!" Koji said before turning off the radio. "Hey guys, give me some cover fire! I'm gonna steal of the Humvees and take the survivor back to base! As soon as I do, blow the charges up and get out of there!"_

_Once he got two of his men to give him covering fire, he managed to make it through the firestorm of bullets and make his way to one of the Humvees._

_"Hey, I'm gonna be borrowing this now! See ya later!" Koji said cheekily to the Beast as he got in the driver's seat._

_"DAMN YOU, PUNK!" The Beast shouted as he watched helplessly as Koji rode off with his Humvee._

_"Alright, he's outta there! Blow those tanks to kingdom come!" Rusk said. On the command of Koji's second–in–command, the soldier holding the detonator hit the button, sending the tanks to kingdom come._

_"NO! NOT MY TANKS!" The Beast roared, before saying, "Grrrr… head for the hills roaches! We're retreating for now!"_

_The rest of Tech Platoon gave a cheer as the forces of the Beast began their retreat. Rusk looked to the soldiers and said, "Hoorah, boys! Dynamite work! Alright, let's go meet up with the rest of the troop! Move out!"_

_"Yes sir!"_

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, the other fire fight ensued and Brenner and Lin were firing at the enemy with their pistols protecting the survivor. The young man in question seemed to be about to be in his late teens, possibly 19 with mid<em>–<em>length brown _two–toned hair with_ _the front part seeming white with the back part being brown _and defined eyelashes. He also had black eyes, peach skin, stood about 5'9", and was dressed in a white t–shirt, a tan Rubinelle Army uniform shirt with the sleeves rolled up, red fingerless gloves, a blue tie, tan pants, brown shoes, and a gear belt with a pistol on it._

_"Hang on Will, transport is on the way." Brenner assured._

_The young man, now identified as Will, grunted and nodded as the medic patched up his wounds. "O–Okay…"_

_Just then, Koji came, riding up in a Humvee as the firing went down a bit. Smirking, he leaned out the window and said, "I managed to get a great deal on this baby down at the repo lot!"_

_"Nice timing Sarge!" Lin said._

_"Is that the survivor?" Koji asked._

_"Yes, this is Will. He's a Cadet at the Rubinelle Military Academy!" Brenner explained._

_"He's a cadet?! No _wonder_ The Beast was preying on him!" Koji said in disbelief._

_Lin nodded, popping up over the Humvee to shoot at some of the trailing soldiers of the Beast as she said, "Yes, and now that've we gone through the obvious, I think it would be a good idea to get him in the Humvee and back to base to get healed!"_

_"Right; and we have to figure what disturbance we have over at the base! Get in!" Koji said._

_Brenner hopped into the Humvee shotgun as Lin and the two medics tending Will carried him in. Once they were all in, Koji revved the engine and drove back to base as the rest of 1st Platoon and Tech Platoon covered their escape, holding off the last stragglers of the Beast's soldiers._

* * *

><p>Gah! This is not what I had in mind! I'm getting my butt kicked all over the place by this Worm thing!<p>

No matter how hard I tried, I was finding that in Masked Form, the Worm was just way too fast for me to keep up with when it Clocked Up. "Ugh…" I groaned, pushing myself up after the Locust Worm's last attack, "Kabuto… There has to be some other way I can fight that thing… something to even the odds, right?"

"There is, but that Locust Worm ain't letting ya do that!" Kabuto said.

"Well, you mind telling me what it is so I can make a plan _to_ let me do it!?" I shouted.

"Catch!" Stauffenburg suddenly shouted, throwing something to me and I caught it. It was a weapon that was a mix of an axe and gun together. It also looked like a dagger of sorts can be pulled out too.

"What is it?" I asked.

"That's the Kunai Gun! It has three modes: Gun, Dagger, and Axe mode! It should help you out!"

Looking at the gun quickly, I said, "Seeing as it's too fast for me to get in close, best to start with Gun Mode. Alright, take this!" I then pulled the trigger, shooting just in time to hit the Worm as it tried to attack me, sending it flying backwards.

"Nice job!" Rika cheered.

"Alright," I cheered too. "Let's try Axe Mode next!" I said, before holding it by the barrel so that I was holding it like an axe. This time, I waited for the Worm to try and charge me again. Knowing it was moving faster than me, I needed to time my attack just right. When it came, flying towards me, I saw it move in and just before it slashed me, I slashed it instead, sending a stream of sparks off its chest as it fell back.

"Good going, aibou, you got it on the ropes now!" Kabuto praised.

"Thanks. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this." I said.

Kabuto then said, "Alright, but if we're gonna finish this thing off, we're gonna need to shed a little weight."

"How do I do _that_?" I asked, but before he could answer, we heard the sound of a vehicle coming towards the base.

"Whoa!" Koji shouted from the front seat. "What the heck are _those_ two!?" He exclaimed, pointing to me and the Worm.

"I've never seen anything like it." Lin said.

"What's going on?" Brenner asked.

"Koji, there you are!" Rika shouted as the Humvee came, closing in on our position.

"Rika, what's goin on here?" He asked, still in the Humvee.

The Locust Worm then got back on its feet and set its eyes on Rika and the others in the Humvee, giving an insect–like clicking noise from its mandibles.

"This is bad! Kurogasa, it's about to attack them! You gotta Cast Off the armor!" Kabuto cried out.

"How do I do _that_?" I asked in a panic, wanting to stop that thing before it hurt my friends.

"Flip my horn slightly so the armor can spread out a little. Then you can flip my horn back completely!"

"O–Ok, I'll do that!" I said, before I did what I was told. I flipped Kabuto's horn slightly and I heard a charging noise as blue electricity crackled in my armor. The segmented armor on my arms spread out a bit, letting out steam, before the bulky armor on my torso, shoulders, and head did the same thing.

"Now say Cast Off and flip my horn completely!" Kabuto said.

"Right, here goes!" I said before holding on Kabuto's horn, "Cast Off!" I then flipped the horn to the other side letting the gold part of his horn that's under Kabuto show and his back slid open.

**CAST OFF!**

Suddenly, the pieces of my armor went flying off in little parts straight towards the Worm.

"Rika, look out!" Koji shouted, leaping out of the Humvee to try and protect her.

"AHHHHHHH, GET AWAY!" Rika screamed as the Locust Worm went towards her and Koji covered her. However, before it could get to them, the Worm was knocked away by the ejected parts of my armor.

Meanwhile, a horn appendage looking like a Japanese rhino beetle's horn rose up from my chest armor and locked in place in the middle, bisecting the visor.

**CHANGE: BEETLE!**

* * *

><p><strong>BGM: Full Force by RIDER Chips feat. Ricky<strong>

Looking at myself now, my armor is noticeably smaller than my Masked Form, and it appears much more maneuverable. My arms were free of the metal plating, minimally protected only by single sheets of steel running along my arms. The shoulder pads were red with a silver trim, fitting the curve of my real shoulders, appearing lightweight with an easy fit. My torso armor was completely crimson and looked thicker than the rest, but still light. The chest plate even looked like the back of a beetle's shell, covering my abdomen. My helmet was also red, and as said earlier, the horn appendage looking like a Japanese rhino beetle's horn rose up from my chest armor and locked in place in the middle, bisecting the visor, giving the appearance of two large blue eyes instead of the single visor of before.

"Captain, are you seeing this?" Lin gasped.

"I see, but I don't believe." Brenner said wide eyed.

Kabuto then said, "Kurogasa, say hello to Kamen Rider Kabuto – Rider Form."

"Sweet," I said looking over myself.

Kabuto murmured in agreement before saying, "In this form, you should be able to finish of the Worm as you now can Clock Up as well, putting you on an even footing."

"How do I do that?"

"See that square button on your right side of the belt?" Kabuto asked. I looked down and noticed it, making me nod. "Press it."

Eyeing the button, I pressed it down.

**CLOCK UP!**

As soon as I pressed the button, my whole world slowed down instantly, surprising me. "What the–"

"You're in Clock Up mode! You're moving at the speed of light!" Kabuto said.

Looking around, I saw the Locust Worm as it got up and started moving again, wanting to get me this time. However, now that I was moving at his speed, he didn't seem nearly as fast. "This is great! I can actually fight him now!"

"Then go for it!" Kabuto encouraged. Nodding, I ran forward, dodging a slash from the Worm before cutting it with my ax and then gave it a kick to the head. "Good! Good! Now hit him with your dagger! Hold the barrel of the Kunai Gun and a dagger should slide out!" Kabuto said.

Doing as my ZECTer instructed, I switched the gun to Kunai Mode. "Alright, what do I do now?"

"Slash at him!"

Kabuto finished just in time for me to dodge another attack from the Locust Worm, though this time it was far more ferocious. We went back and forth, exchanging slashes with our blades.

"Man, this guy is getting aggressive now." I commented.

"Then I think it's time to finish him off!" Kabuto stated. "It's to use your secret weapon: the Rider Kick!"

I asked, "Rider Kick?"

Before Kabuto could say any more–

**CLOCK OVER!**

Eh?!

Suddenly, I found myself going back to normal speed, only to have my body get slashed all over as the Worm kept going at light speed, "AGH!" I yelled as sparks flew off my armor and I fell to the ground. "Ka–Kabuto… Wha–What… What happened?"

"You ran out of time." Kabuto stated. "I forgot to mention that you only have a limited time to be in Clock Up mode."

"That bit of info would've been good before!" I complained, only to get kicked again by the Worm, causing me to knock over the jeep I got hit into. "Ugh… What do I do now?"

"Hang in there, Kurogasa!" Rika cried out.

"Eh? That armored guy is Kurogasa?!" Koji asked shocked.

"I'll explain later, Koji! Right now, we gotta help Kurogasa!" Rika exclaimed.

"Right," Koji said then shouted to the Worm, "Hey ugly!" getting its attention. Immediately, Koji grabbed a rocket launcher from the back of the Humvee and, in his best Al Pacino impression, shouted, "Say hello to my little friend!" He pulled the trigger and fired the RPG at the Locust Worm. The Worm stupidly tried to grab the RPG, but it exploded in his grip, sending it back into one of the tents set up on base.

"Hah! How do ya like me now?" Koji boasted.

"Nice job Koji!" Brenner praised.

"Still… Kurogasa being… in that armor…" Lin said stunned. "It's incredible…"

"What… What is he?" A guy who looked in his teens asked, who I've never seen before. Is that the survivor?

Rika looked to the survivor and said, "According to Kabuto, the robot beetle on his waist, he's a Kamen Rider."

Koji, Brenner, Lin, and the survivor looked confused, "Kamen Rider?"

"I can explain that later." Stauffenburg said.

"And who are you?" Brenner asked.

"Again, I'll explain later. Right now, Kurogasa has to defeat that Worm."

As the Worm got back on its feet and growled at Koji, I looked to Kabuto and asked, "Aibou, that Rider Kick thing you mentioned. It can finish off the Worm, right? How do I do it?"

"See the buttons on the side of my feet?" Kabuto said. "Press them from left to right."

"Okay." I nodded.

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

"Now close me back up and put my horn back into place." Kabuto said next. I did as he requested and adjusted his controls. "Now flip my horn slightly to charge up for the kick." I grabbed hold of Kabuto's horn and flipped slightly, charging up the attack. Hearing the charging noise again the Locust Worm noticed me charging up for my attack and ran towards me before jumping at me.

"NOW FLIP MY HORN BACK!" Kabuto shouted, and I flipped the horn back to its place so that the gold part of his horn that's under him show and his back slid open again.

**RIDER KICK!**

Blue electricity crackled from Kabuto before it traveled up to the beetle horn on my helmet, and then down my right leg ending on my foot and as soon as the Locust Worm was really close to me, I did a 180 roundhouse kick, hitting my target, having my back facing the Locust Worm.

The Worm screeched out loud as it took the force of the blow, its body being covered by the electricity. Several seconds later, the alien exploded in a yellowish–green fiery explosion.

**End BGM**

* * *

><p>"Wohoo, he did it!" Stauffenburg cheered.<p>

"Amazing…" Rika said in awe.

"Dang…" Koji muttered, "I gotta get me one of those…"

"Incredible…" The survivor said in amazement.

"Yes… I've never seen anything like it." Brenner asked as Kabuto detached from my belt and my armor broke down into hexagon panels before being absorbed into the belt. Koji and Rika then ran over to me as I sat down on a fallen beam, breathing a sigh of relief while Kabuto sat on my shoulder.

"Bro, that was amazing!" Koji exclaimed. "How did you do that?"

"To be honest, I don't know…" I answered.

Rika then hugged me tightly, pressing her cheek against mine. "Well no matter how you did it, you're a hero!"

"OW! OW! OW! Go easy with the hug Rika!" I winced in pain. "That Worm did a number on me!"

Rika let me go, blushing in embarrassment as she said, "Sorry… You okay, though?"

Stauffenburg, meanwhile, was busy typing away at his laptop. "Oh, wow! That was amazing! The Masked Rider Project has exceeded expectations by 200%! Oh, this is FANTASTIC!"

"Who's _that_ guy?" Koji asked with a confused deadpan.

"Uh… that's a long story." I sweat dropped.

"Then we can talk about it over dinner." Brenner said, approaching me along with Lin and the survivor. "I have to admit, it was impressive."

"Thanks, Captain." I said with a sheepish grin, scratching my cheek.

* * *

><p>And so with that, after cleaning up around the base, and the rest of the soldiers that went out, coming back, we all went to the makeshift mess hall which thankfully wasn't destroyed by the Worm. The survivor introduced himself as Will, a Cadet from the once Rubinelle Military Academy. He was in the cafeteria eating lunch when the meteors hit and was able to get out, but the Beast got to him, and was about to kill him until Brenner and his team arrived.<p>

"Wow, looks like we managed to get there just in time." Koji said, taking a bite of his chicken.

"Yeah, I thought I was gonna die, until you showed up." Will said.

"You did well to stay alive. I'm impressed." Brenner said.

"I didn't want to die."

"But anyways, now that things have calmed down, I can properly introduce myself. I'm Captain Brenner. I command the 12th Battalion, pride of the Rubinelle Army. And this is my second in command…"

"First Lieutenant Lin," Lin nodded. "Welcome to Brenner's Wolves."

"Thank you, Sir, Ma'am." Will answered.

Koji then said, "I'm Staff Sergeant Koji Shinamori, platoon sergeant for the 12th's Tech Platoon. These are my friends, Dr. Rika Ryusaki, our head doctor, and Kurogasa Kururugi, our chef."

Will looked at me in amazement. "Your _chef_ is the guy who managed to destroy that freaky monster thing?"

"Well, yeah…" I laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head.

"Speaking of which, bud," Koji said, turning back to me, "Maybe now you can explain to the rest of us what the deal was with that alien… and the little robot beetle on your shoulder… and the eccentric and slightly creepy scientist."

"HEY!"

"Um… Sorry?" Koji shrugged to Stauffenburg.

"I'll have the scientist here explain it. He knows the stuff better than I do." I said.

Stauffenburg sighed as he closed his laptop. "I guess since you guys saved me, I owe you an explanation. I'll start with what I already told Kurogasa and Rika. I'm Dr. Heinrich von Stauffenburg, artificial intelligence expert from Rubinelle, and currently the project leader on a top secret project for ZECT."

"ZECT, you say?" Brenner said, his tone indicating he was familiar with the word.

"You know them?" I asked, puzzled.

Lin nodded, explaining to me, "ZECT was a well–respected but secretive weapons research and development corporation. Many of Rubinelle's most advanced weaponry came out of there."

"Exactly, thus was the reason why I always say that our stuff is classified."

"Yeah, I noticed…" I deadpanned.

"Anyway," Stauffenburg said, giving me the stink eye before continuing, "Given my skill in artificial intelligence, I was assigned as the lead designer on the ZECTer project, ZECTers being the robotic creatures like Kabuto. They were developed to fight the Worms."

"You mean that creature Kurogasa fought?" Brenner asked.

"Yes. These Worms can blend into the human population by copying the faces of their victims along with their memories. They only require a look at the human to copy their image, but once done so, they _will _kill the original at all costs. The Worm believes the person that was mimicked now exists as a part of them due the fact they also acquired their victims' personalities." Stauffenburg explained before adding, "In other words, the Worms can _and_ will copy your entire existence."

Koji, Rika, Will, and I shuddered at the thought while Lin and Brenner frowned with worry.

"Oh man…" Koji muttered.

"That's pretty scary…" Rika trembled.

"These aliens are capable of _doing_ such a thing?" Will asked.

"Yes." Stauffenburg said before opening his laptop and typed a few keystrokes before turning it around to show to us the Worm in its pupa state and adult state. "There are two stages to the Worms. The first is the Salis Form, taking on the shape of a chrysalis. A Worm in a Salis state normally have a green body, but there have been scenarios where it was not so. After a Worm is threatened or endangered, it goes to the second stage and it will molt, to reveal a stronger form that can move at blinding speeds which comes from their high metabolism."

"The Clock Up mode…" I muttered.

"That's right, Kurogasa. And after further research, it's later revealed that the Worms don't need to naturally molt, and their "cast" can be broken off or shattered. They also have the ability to revert back into a Salis form if necessary. And when a Worm is destroyed, it explodes into flames that share its predominant color."

"I see…" Lin said.

"So where did these Worms come from?" Will asked.

Stauffenburg pointed to the sky above and said, "They arrived in the meteors from outer space, originating on some far off planet."

"Excuse me?" Lin raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"You're meaning to say that those Worms came from the meteors that hit the Earth?" Brenner asked, looking shocked.

Stauffenburg nodded as he said, "Correct. That meteor shower was no accident… It was a stealth invasion."

We all looked at him in shock and disbelief, "WHAAAAAAAAT?!"

"Why would they want to invade Earth?" Rika asked.

"Earth's population was the closest one big enough to provide identities for their whole species." Stauffenburg explained.

"Besides the obvious…" Rika deadpanned.

"The Natives wanted us to protect them."

"Who are the Natives?" Koji asked confused.

"They are another species of Worms, but unlike the hostile ones, the Natives are peaceful and want to coexist." Standing up, Stauffenburg walked over to me and pointed to Kabuto. "As a matter of fact, they're the ones who helped me design and build the ZECTers."

"They built the ZECTers?" I asked.

"They sure did! Their technology was far too advanced than our own. I couldn't comprehend it at first, when they first showed me the blueprints for the ZECTers."

"Just how many of these ZECTers are there?" Koji asked curiously.

"There were five we built: Kabuto, Gatack, TheBee, Drake, and Sasword."

"And you based them off of the insects of our world?" Lin questioned.

"Yes." Stauffenburg nodded. "Kabuto is of course a red rhino beetle, Gatack is a blue stag beetle, TheBee is a yellow wasp, Drake is a cyan dragonfly, and Sasword is a purple scorpion."

"Then where are the rest of these ZECTers?" Will asked.

Stauffenburg gulped, pulling on his collar as he said, "Yes, um… about that…"

"We all kinda ran away..." Kabuto admitted.

"You ran away?" Will blinked.

"Well, more like _flew_ away if you wanna get technical. Sasword did the actual running, or in his case, scuttled away."

"Why'd you guys run off?" I asked Kabuto.

"It's a bit hard to explain, but… the thing is, despite ZECT having picked Riders for us, because of our sentience, we are designed to pick the candidates we _want_ to pair up with as Kamen Riders."

Brenner raised an eyebrow at Kabuto, "Kamen Riders?"

"It means 'Masked,'" Kabuto explained.

"He wants to know who they are." Lin clarified.

"Oh, right!" Kabuto said. "Kamen Riders/Masked Riders is the name given to the users of the ZECTers, hence the Masked Rider Project. Harnessing our power, they become encased in armor like Kurogasa was and gain access to a set of abilities that allow them to fight on par with a Worm."

"So… they're like super soldiers?" Rika asked.

"To an extent, yeah," Kabuto nodded

Looking to Stauffenburg, I asked, "So then these other four ZECTers are looking for people they think will make suitable partners/Riders?"

"Yep, I still have their attachment devices with me, so once we find them, maybe someone in the 12th Battalion can use them."

Lin looked to Brenner and said, "Those could certainly come in handy, Captain; especially if we run into more of those Worms."

"That's true." Brenner said. "Alright then, we'll rest up tonight and move out first thing in morning after breakfast. We still need to look for more survivors."

Stauffenburg then said, "Say, uh, Captain… I don't suppose you could find a place for me here in the battalion?" Nervously, he scratched the back of his head and said, "ZECT isn't gonna be too happy with me, and… besides that, I think I could be more help here."

"Of course, you're more than welcome." Brenner nodded.

The scientist breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Perfect! You won't regret it, Captain! With my scientific knowledge at your disposal, no one'll be able to stop you!"

"Let's not jump the gun yet. I'm not a guy who's all into science, but I'm sure you'll be a great asset in our battalion." Brenner said.

"I'm glad to hear you say that." Stauffenburg smiled.

* * *

><p>"Whoo, what a day…" I sighed, as I plopped down on my sleeping bag.<p>

Koji, my new roommate as he volunteered to let me stay with him even though as a battalion staff member earned a room of his own, chuckled as he sat down on his cot, taking out his blue electric guitar and began to softly play a blues riff. "You're telling me. First was that big victory against the Beast, then you becoming a superhero, more or less."

"Yeah, and I got a new friend in the form of a red mechanical rhino beetle." I added.

Kabuto came, flying into the room, buzzing happily as he rested on the desk and said, "Yep! And we're gonna be really good friends!"

Koji chuckled as he said, still playing, "You seem like a pretty cool dude, Kabuto. Who knows? Maybe if I'm lucky, I can team up with one of your friends."

"Hmmmmm…" Kabuto said as he flew over to Koji and circled around him. "Looking at you, I think you'd be good with Gatack."

"He's the stag beetle, right?" I asked, sliding into my sleeping bag.

"Yes, he is." Kabuto chirped.

Just then, the flap from our tent entrance opened up to reveal… Lin?

Koji hopped up to attention, "Lieutenant!"

Lin raised a hand. "At ease, I only want to talk with Kurogasa."

He gave me a grin before turning back to her as he said, "I'll leave you two alone then, Ma'am."

I shot Koji a glare as he and Kabuto went out before turning back to Lin. "What's up?" I asked as I got out of my sleeping bag.

"First of all, I'd like to say you did very well fighting off against that Worm."

"Uh… thanks." I said, slightly blushing.

"However… seeing your fight, I noticed that you only relied on your instincts, and that alone isn't going to help you survive in the world we live in now."

I looked at her sheepishly as I said, "Yeah, well… I've never had any formal combat training before."

"That's why I've come here. I want to teach you combat training."

"You want to teach me to fight?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes. With those Worms out there, you need to be prepared and know how to fight properly. So what do you say?"

I thought about her proposal for a while, and when I really think about it, it's definitely the best suggestion. When I fought the Locust Worm, I only relied on pure instincts. But as Lin said, that alone won't help and save me from seeing another day. I need to get stronger and better, so that I don't have to be a burden to anyone.

"You got yourself a deal." I nodded.

"Good answer." Lin scoffed with a smirk. "We'll start training after we move out and find a place to set up camp. Don't think I'll go easy on you though."

"I don't think you _look_ like someone that would go easy on _any_one." I said. "But I'll do my best."

"Good. Now get some rest. We got long day tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night." I said.

"Good night." Lin replied, before she went out of the tent and Koji came back in.

Koji smirked at me, leaning against the wall as he said, "So, should I be expecting a sock on the door?"

"Are you really gonna joke me right now?" I groaned with a facepalm.

He chuckled as he strode over to his bed and picked up his guitar again. "When do I ever _not_ joke you when I have the chance?"

"Ugh… I'm not even gonna answer that."

Koji chuckled again before he began to play again. "So, seriously, what _did_ the lieutenant wanna talk about?"

"She wanted to personally give me training on hand–to–hand combat."

Koji could barely keep from grinning as he said, "Is that what they're calling it these days?"

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

Koji gave me a deadpan look before face palming. "Ugh… you're hopeless, sometimes… I was joking that it was euphemism for doing the horizontal tango… Think about it."

I thought about it for a moment before I groaned with a facepalm. "I'm not even gonna comment on that."

Koji shook his head before he began to play more blue riffs on his guitar. Looking to him, I asked, "You've started playing the blues now? Whatever happened to my buddy, the disco–loving ladies' man who always got the girls?"

Koji sighed sadly as he said, "After everything that's happened… Disco's groove didn't seem appropriate to me. It was all about fun and the joy of being alive. But after so much death… the musician in me got a lot more melancholy."

"Yeah, I noticed." I said. "Look I didn't mean to–"

"No it's okay. Things just happen and we gotta do what we can." He then gave me a sad smile as he said, "I know you didn't mean any offense." He then gave a soft chuckle as he said, "On the bright side, it's given me a chance to brush the rust off my guitar skills."

"Yeah, that much is true." I chuckled back. "Ever since you got into disco, you got rusty on the guitar."

Koji nodded as he said, "Yeah… mainly because guitar wasn't as prevalent in it."

I should probably give you guys a quick recap: As you know, Koji and I were best friends along with Rika. Our parents had all been best friends. For as long as I could remember, Koji had a passion for music, any kind. He loved the way it could inspire emotion in people. One day, while we were exploring his attic, Koji found a trunk full of his dad's old stuff from the 1970s: platform shoes, puka shells, Bee Gees records, and everything. And Koji loved it all. So, he started dressing in disco inspired threads, started talking the lingo, learned all the dances, everything. And the girls loved it, turning him into even more of a ladies' man than he was. Wanted to go to college to study music and open his own disco label, bring it back so people could enjoy the fun of it all again. Of course… after the meteor shower… Well, I guess you can already see for yourselves.

"Well, I don't know about you two." Kabuto finally said. "But this beetle is ready to snooze away."

Koji nodded in agreement, putting his guitar away. "I'm with you, little dude. After today's excitement, I could use a few winks."

"Yeah, me too," I said before sliding into the sleeping bag again. "I'll see you two in the morning."

"Alright, goodnight guys," Koji said as he turned out the lamp and hopped into his cot.

Kabuto then landed next to me, crawled into the sleeping bag slightly, and curled up on the part of my pillow that wasn't taken by my head. "Night, aibou,"

"Good night." I said before we fell asleep. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. With the world we live in now and everything happening… somehow… someway… we have to survive…

* * *

><p><strong>Fen: <strong>Well, what a way to kick off my return! How do you like the chapter huh? Was it amazing or what!

**Audience:** WHEW! YEAH! ALRIGHT! *continues to clap and cheer*

**SD:** Haha! Sounds like they like it!

**Fen:** Thanks everyone!

**SD:** Glad you enjoyed, and hope, you guys come back for the next chapter and check out our other stories! And always, be sure to review!

**Fen:** Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2: A Single Life

Hey there everybody, it's your pal Fenikkusumaru again along with Serpentdragon, here to bring to you another chapter of Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin! I thank you guys for your patience and we're to reward you guys! So here it is!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

><p>The next day had come by and all of us got up really early in the morning. After cooking a light breakfast for the entire battalion with the help of Koji and Rika, we all gathered all our camping, equipment, and weapons, putting them in the transports before heading east to look for more survivors.<p>

Brenner was driving a huge Humvee with Lin in the front passenger seat and Koji, Rika, Will, Stauffenburg, Kabuto, and I were all in the back seats. Our vehicle was flanked by tanks to protect us.

"So, do we have any idea what exactly we're looking for?" I asked, looking at the window.

"Basically any sign that would indicate there's someone around," Koji said, adjusting his sunglasses.

"But given how the world is now, it's gonna be pretty hard to find survivors." Rika pointed out.

Kabuto, sitting on my shoulder, sighed as he looked out at the land and said, "It's really sad to see what Earth looks like right now. I wish I could've seen what it was like before the meteor shower."

"Well it _was_ pretty amazing." I said. "There were cities bustling, the grass was green, and people going about their day happily."

"Wow that _does_ sound amazing." Kabuto said.

"Yes, it does. But now…"

"Now it's, red like the blood spilled from 90% of the population," Koji lamented. "The change in color is something I often use in my songs."

"And it's something that we had to adapt to." Lin reminded us.

Stauffenburg, feeling awfully uncomfortable in the situation said, trying to lighten things up, "So… You guys wanna hear about the new project I'm working on?"

"What's that?" Will asked.

Smiling, he said, "I'm glad you asked!" Reaching into his briefcase, he pulled out a Tablet laptop to show blueprints for a motorcycle. "I call it a Rider Machine!"

"What does it do?" I asked.

"It's a specially designed motorcycle for each Rider. Just like the Riders, they have a Masked and Rider Form, each with its own abilities," the scientist explained. "Plus, it can handle all kinds of terrain!"

"How much of the project have you finished?" Will asked.

"I actually finished most of the components for the prototype, designed around Kabuto as he was the first ZECTer. They're in my Masked Rider Project equipment," Stauffenburg said, "But all I need is a motorcycle that can actually perform to the specifications needed for the Rider Machine to perform at peak performance."

"Well you won't be able to find any motorcycles in this desolate wasteland of a planet." Rika said.

Koji then said, "If we find one in working order somewhere, though, my platoon might be able to fix that bad boy up enough."

There was silence for a little while until Will, looking at the sky, said, "It's so strange, not seeing the sun. When will the sky return to normal?"

"Years, Decades? Who can say?" Lin said.

Will looked at Lin incredulously, "Decades?!"

Brenner chuckled from the driver's seat as he said, "Don't make that face, Will. We'll be okay. As long as there's life, there's hope. Ain't that right, Sergeant?"

Koji smiled and nodded as he said, "You bet, Captain!"

"As long as there's life…" Will muttered.

"Right," Brenner nodded. "The world we know is gone, but we can't give in to despair. Someday things will be set to right. We'll have peace, and the life we had will return. That's what I believe. That's why we must help everyone we can."

"Um…" Will said not understanding it.

"Keep it simple: never give up. If you can do that, anything is possible. Got it?"

Will smiled at that and proudly said, "Got it!"

Koji smiled as he said, "Alright, Will. You might just make it as one of the Wolves after all."

"You think so Staff Sergeant?" Will asked.

"Maybe… If you play your cards right, you could." Koji said.

I looked to Will and said, "Don't mind Koji. He just likes to tease people. It's his way of showing he likes you, as annoying as it can be."

"Oh, come on, bud, you don't know what you'd do without me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" I waved off.

* * *

><p><strong>(Cue Theme D–Technolife by UVERworld)<strong>

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi yo)** The scenery is a barren wasteland, with a sky that blotted out the sun. The camera pans slowly to the right as Kurogasa, with his back facing the camera, looks at the barren wasteland on top of a cliff.  
><strong>(Kesenai kako mo seoiatteikou ikiru koto o nagedasanai de)<strong> The camera then suddenly changes to a close up of Kurogasa's face before it went around his head, the camera's view being blocked momentarily when it reached the back of his head and when the camera finally circles to the side of his face, it showed Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Kabuto, before panning out showing him in his full armor. Looking up at the sky, a ray of light suddenly burst through the clouds shining on Kabuto before the screen goes white.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] tsunaida kimi no te o)** The title Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin appears on the screen and just before the song enters the next phrase, the ZECTers flew, crawled, and hopped around the title from behind and jumped towards the screen before changing to the next scene.

**(Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana)** Koji sits on the edge of his bed, sadly looking at his guitar on one side, his rifle on the other, as Gatack flew up and lands on his shoulder.  
><strong>(Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara)<strong> Rika was in the medical wing of the base, sighing and wiping sweat off her brow as she tries to organize her medical supplies, Sasword crawling around on a table while Brenner, Lin, Isabella, and Will were discussing plans for their next move.

**(Hibiku~ boku wo yobu koe sae kare)** Kurogasa was cooking and Kabuto watched on his shoulder before Kurogasa noticed something from afar on the horizon.  
><strong>(Toki ni sou kaze ni kakikesaretatte)<strong> Drake and TheBee fly past him as we see what Kurogasa was looking out: a swarm of Salis Worms flanking Dr. Caulder with Admiral Greyfield, Waylon, showing up one end of the battlefield along with Tasha and Gage on another end and they sending out their troops alerting the 12th Platoon.

**(Kimi wo mitsu–ke–da–su)** Kurogasa grabs Kabuto and transforms into Kamen Rider Kabuto, before casting off his armor and charging towards Dr. Caulder.

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi mou)** Dr. Caulder snaps his fingers and Kamen Rider Punch and Kick Hopper appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Kabuto for an attack only for the latter to dodge before going to attack them.  
><strong>(Waraenai nante, hito kirai nante kotoba sou iwanaide)<strong> Koji transforms into Kamen Rider Gatack and leads the Tech Platoon with their heavy weapons attacking some of the Salis Worms as Brenner transforms into Kamen Rider TheBee and he, Lin, and Will attack the rest of the forces.  
><strong>(Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara)<strong> Rika and David "Deadeye" Stevens transforms into Kamen Rider Sasword and Kamen Rider Drake respectively and attack some of the Salis Worms.  
><strong>(Ima wa sono mama de ii, kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou [WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH])<strong> As Kurogasa battles Punch Hopper and Kick Hopper, Caulder surprisingly joins in and transforms into Kamen Rider Caucasus, going to punch Kurogasa, only for the latter to dodge and he and Caluder stared each other down.

**(You and Me, two have spoken.)** The Hyper ZECTer appears from the distortion of time and Kurogasa grabs it to become Hyper Kabuto.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] Itsuka wakariaeru kara)** Kurogasa then grabs the Perfect ZECTer and he and Caucasus leap at each other, their attack causing a huge flash of light. When the light fades, we see Kurogasa, Koji, Rika, Brenner, Will, Lin, Isabella, Tasha, Gage, and Stauffenburg looking out into the sunset, the ZECTers with them as well before the song ends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 2: A Single Life<p>

We soon arrived at a desolate ruined city and set up camp on the outskirts of it. Koji and his Tech Platoon had set out to the ruined city to look for survivors. Meanwhile, as promised Lin was training me in military hand–to–hand combat. …However…

"WHOA! OW!"

…I was getting my butt kicked by Lin.

"And that is why you _never_ let your opponent get behind you." Lin said smugly as she had me on my knees, holding arm behind my back painfully as she pushed down on my shoulder with one foot.

"Duly noted…" I winced.

Lin then let go of me and helped me back onto my feet. "Alright, get set up. Let's try it again."

"Yeah, okay…" I said as I got into my stance again. She then got into her stance and charged at me.

Lin was about to land a punch at me, but I was able to block the punch and sidestepped while I'm at it. I then crouched down and attempted to sweep one of my legs and trip her to get her off her feet, but she jumped to avoid it.

"Better!" She shouted as she landed a few feet away from me before coming at me again with a flurry of jabs. I blocked some punches while sidestepping others and after a while, I counterattacked with a few jabs of my own while adding a few kicks.

Lin, though, finally managed to catch my right leg in one side kick I tried and then delivered a powerful punch to my inner thigh.

"GH," I winced in pain. Lin saw the chance and picked me up, throwing me over and pinned me to the ground.

"Of course, don't let how good you're doing go to your head." Lin advised.

"I'm not." I smirked. "I'm just seeing an opportunity!" I then caught Lin off guard when I swept my leg to trip her then pin _her_ to the ground with me on top of her. Wait… that didn't sound right.

Lin looked up at me as she said, "Good… because in a fight, you need to take every opportunity to win."

*BAM!*

"OOOOH," I shouted as I felt Lin slam her knee into my "best pals," throwing me off her.

Chuckling, Lin got up and said with a smirk, "_Any_ opportunity." Looking to the nearest medic, she said, "Get an ice pack for him?"

"Yes ma'am!" The medic said before going to get the ice pack.

"Ow…" I wheezed.

Lin smiled at me sympathetically as she said, "Sorry about that. I just wanted to make a point that in a fight in this world there are no rules."

"You certainly made _that_ obvious…" I got out. The medic then returned with an icepack for me, handing it to me, as I silently thanked him.

"Are you okay?" Lin asked as I slowly sat up.

"I'll be fine…" I said as I placed the pack between my legs, "Hah, hah, hah, hah, ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

She then helped walk me over to a fallen beam from some building to sit down on. "There, that should be less painful for you."

"Thanks." I panted.

"No problem." Lin said.

Just then, Lin took out her radio as she heard Koji say over it, **["LT, this is Tech Lead. I think we have a sign of survivors, over."]**

"Copy that Shinamori. Get those survivors out of there."

**["We're trying to, ma'am,"]** Koji replied as he said, **["But we've got a bit of an issue. My men have the equipment to get rid of this debris, but we lack the man power. Could use some reinforcements, over."]**

"Alright, Captain Brenner, Kurogasa, and I will be over there shortly."

**["Copy that. We'll see you soon. Also, I might suggest bringing Will. It'd be a good chance for him to see what combat engineers can do,"]** Koji suggested.

"I'll talk to Captain Brenner about that, over and out." Lin said before turning off the radio and looking to me. "You feel okay to walk?"

"I think so." I said before standing up. I was a bit wobbly, but I stood my ground.

Lin smirked as she said, "You got spirit I'll say that." She then helped to steady me as she said, "C'mon, let's go."

"Right," I nodded.

* * *

><p>We arrived at the place where Koji and his men were. Seeing us, Koji waved to us slightly as he said, "Over here! It seems like we got someone down here!"<p>

"Let's hope they're okay." I said, as Lin, Brenner, and I along with Will arrived at the scene.

"Good work Shinamori." Brenner nodded.

"Thank you, sir." Koji said before turning to me and Will. "Kurogasa, Will, I can use some help."

"Sure thing man," I said. "C'mon Will."

"Right," Will said, following with me after Koji as we went to the spot with some power tools. The three of us began cutting away at some of the debris as the rest of Koji's men did in other spots.

Luckily, we found more civilians alive, buried under the rubble and took them in, while some of us only found corpses. Just then, though, Will, looking down a hole we uncovered, shouted, "Hey! There's someone over there! Hold on! I'm coming!"

"Whoa hold on, slow down, Will!" I said, as I went to help him out.

A few of Koji's men followed after us and, looking down at the hole, Will found we saw a girl around our age lying at the bottom. The girl had long, light blue hair with bright yellow eyes, a white dress with yellow straps making an X across the collar, a black choker around her neck, a long blue pendant, purple and red tie–dye leggings, and black–brown high heeled ankle boots.

A corporal from Tech Platoon asked, "Is… Is she alive?"

"I don't know." I said.

"Well, let's get her out of there!" Will insisted.

Koji, who just arrived after us, looked to Sergeant Rusk saying, "Sergeant, go get the second jeep. It's got a tow cable on it. Drive it here. I'll lower myself and, Will down and get her out."

"You got it, Boss," Rusk replied as he ran off to get the jeep.

Quickly, Rusk came over with the jeep, handing harnesses to Koji and Will. Once they slipped into them, Rusk hooked them up to the tow cable's hook and they repelled down into the hole. Carefully, they picked up the girl and, once Koji tugged on the rope, signaling he wanted Rusk to bring them up, the crank reversed direction and pulled the two up.

"That's it, Rusk, nice and easy!" Koji said.

Finally, the three of them were back top side. Setting the girl down gently on the ground, Will examined the girl up close as the corporal again asked, "So, is she alright? Do we need a medic?"

"I think so." Will said. "Her breathing is really faint. Come on! We've got to get her back to camp!"

"I'll call for a medic!" The corporal shouted as he ran off to get help.

Another soldier, a private, then said to Will, "It ain't worth the trouble, kid. I doubt she's long for this world."

"I'm not giving up! If you won't help, I'll carry her myself!"

"Are you serious?" The soldier asked incredulously.

"That's enough, Private!" Koji shouted at the soldier, making him back down.

"He's right!" I shouted in agreement. "As long as there's life, there's hope, just like Capt. Brenner says!"

"Open your eyes…" Will, said to the unconscious girl. "I know there's not much to see, but you can't give up. You're alive, you know? And where there's life, there's hope."

There were a few moments of silence…

Then suddenly… she opened her eyes!

"…Who… Who are you?"

"She's awake!" I gasped.

Will smiled widely as he said, "Yes! You heard me! You're alive!"

"P–Please… Tell me… Who are you?" The girl asked.

"I'm Will. I'm with Brenner's Wolves. What's your name?"

"I… I don't know."

"Huh?" Koji and I asked confused.

Looking to all of us, in a mix of confusion and fear, the girl replied, "I… I don't remember. I don't remember anything."

"You think she's got amnesia Koji?" I whispered.

Whispering back, Koji nodded, replying, "Sounds that way. It's the only thing I can think of."

"I… I don't remember. I don't remember anything." The girl said.

"Ok, Ok, don't worry. You've been through a lot. Everything's going to be fine."

"…All right."

I then piped in, saying, "We should get her back to the base, let Rika get a look at her to make sure she is okay."

"Right," Will, nodded.

Meanwhile, Brenner and Lin were at another part of the site tending to the other survivors until he got a call from the radio, **["Captain Brenner! Do you read? This is Dr. Stauffenburg! We have a problem!"]** Stauffenburg cried out in the radio.

Grabbing his radio, Brenner replied, "I read you, Doctor. What's the word?"

**["I detected a swarm of Salis Worms a few clicks from your position and are headed towards you and the search party!"]**

Brenner's eyes widened. "Worms? On their way here?! How long do we have before they reach our position?"

**["Five minutes, at most! Kabuto is on his way there!"]**

Brenner nodded. "Right, I'll alert Kurogasa and my men!" Looking back to us, he shouted, "Guys, we got Worms on their way! Kurogasa, Kabuto is on his way! Get ready!"

"Aw man, Worms?!" I complained.

"Not what I had in mind." Koji gritted.

"All nonmilitary personnel fall back! This is now a combat zone!" Brenner ordered. "Get that tank up there and block the road! Koji, I want half of your men to get the survivors out of here!"

Koji nodded as he said, "You got it, Captain! Alright, Platoons A and D, with me! Platoons B and C, get any survivors out of here!" He then looked to me. "You ready?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"What's happening?" The girl asked.

"Don't worry, you're safe. You're with the Rubinelle Army now." Will assured as he picked her up bridal style.

"Rubinelle…" The girl pondered, as if she'd trying to remember something. "Rubinelle is one of the two main countries on this continent. At the last known date, the army employed 1,296,973 men."

"What the…" I said surprised.

"How do you know that?" Will asked surprised too.

"Rubinelle and its neighbor have been at war for a century." The girl continued. "Despite several armistices, the fighting has never truly ended. Ten percent of Rubinelle's GDP is expended on weaponry and research. The last recorded assessment of its military strength was "Excellent"."

Will blinked at the girl in amazement. "How did you know that?"

"I… I don't know. I don't understand." The girl said.

Huh? Okay, this doesn't make any sense. She doesn't know her name, yet she's all statistics on the Rubinelle Army? Who _is_ this girl?

"AIBOU," Kabuto shouted as he flew into sight, distracting me from my question. Flying over to me, he said, "I'm here! You ready to beat down some Worms?"

"Huh?" I asked startled before saying, "Oh, y–yeah I'm ready!"

"ZECT…" The girl murmured.

All of us looked to the girl then in amazement. "You know ZECT!?"

"ZECT is one of the primary weapons providers for the Rubinelle Armed Forces, developing some of its most advanced weaponry, including the ZECTers of Native origin."

What in the–

"Okay, this girl is starting to freak me out." Koji said a bit scared.

Brenner said, "We can't afford to worry about this right now, Staff Sergeant! Will, get the girl out of here! Koji, get your men into position! And Kurogasa… suit up!"

"Yes sir!" I nodded then placed the Rider Belt around my waist. "Alright, Kabuto, let's do this!"

"Yosha, Ikuze aibou," Kabuto cheered.

Kabuto then flew into my hand and I caught him with my hand on his underside as my right arm crossed over my body and shouted, "Henshin!" before sliding him into place on the Rider Belt.

**HENSHIN!**

The hexagonal panels began forming all over my body, forming my body armor as I entered Masked Form as Kamen Rider Kabuto. I immediately got into position with Koji's men as we saw the Salis Worms come into view.

"At the ready, boys," Koji shouted.

"Yes sir!" The soldiers shouted aiming their guns at them.

Giving me a thumbs–up, Koji said, loading his shotgun before putting it on his back as he grabbed his M–16, "We got you covered, buddy."

"Thanks." I said before turning to the Salis Worm army. "I'm going in!" I shouted before charging at the army.

"Open fire!" Koji then shouted as his men began firing on the Worms with their automatic rifles, their bullets buzzing past me as I grabbed my Kunai Gun, shooting as well as I charged forward. One of the Worms I hit rolled across the ground before hoping back up and charging at me.

"No you don't!" I shouted before firing my bullets at the Salis Worm that charged at me making sparks fly off.

Meanwhile, Koji dodged under the claw of a Worm that was slashing at him before blasting it with his shotgun. "Eat this!"

*BANG!*

The shot from his shotgun sent the Salis Worm flying a few feet.

Thanks to Koji and his men holding off the other four, I could focus on the one challenging me. Switching my gun into axe mode, I ran towards the Worm and chopped my axe down across its face. Sparks flew and I continued to slash the Salis Worm in front of me until it finally exploded in green flames. "Haha, I got one! One down: four to go!" I shouted as I turned to help Koji's soldiers with the other four Worms.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, as the fight was going on, The Beast and his men were coming up on a craggy hill from the outskirts of the ruined city and noticed the fight going on.<em>

_"Heh heh heh… Looks like my old friends, the Wolves," Beast grinned as he looked through his binoculars. Spying Koji, he then said, "And even better, that punk who almost killed me. Now I can finally put him six feet under." He then looked behind to see his army ready and waiting. "Alright, you roaches, move out! We got us some Wolves to put down!"_

_All the soldiers shouted, "YEAAAAHHHH!" Some of them hopped into the three tanks the Beast brought with him while the rest ran in front, beside, and behind, charging downwards._

_"Heh, heh, heh… I'm so gonna enjoy this…" The Beast chuckled._

* * *

><p>As we continued to fight with the Worms, Brenner and Lin coming with a squad from 1st Platoon to help us out, we had destroyed a second Salis Worm.<p>

"Keep firing! Keep firing!" Brenner shouted as he used a 9mm pistol to shoot at a third Salis Worm.

Rusk then, with his teeth, pulled the pin from a grenade, "Fire in the hole!" Lobbing the grenade, it flew through the air, hitting the ground as several of the soldiers hit the deck, sending the other two Salis Worms flying.

"Alright, let's do this!" I said before flipping Kabuto's horn slightly. Blue electricity crackled throughout my entire armor as the segmented armor on my arms, the armor on my chest, and the armor on my helmet spread out while steam hissed from it. "Cast Off!" I shouted, before flipping the horn completely, making Kabuto's gold side of his horn prominent and the shell of his body open up.

**CAST OFF!**

The pieces of armor for Masked Form came, flying off me, bits of it hitting the three Worms as they tried to get back up as I switched into Rider Form, the beetle horn coming up and bisect the lens.

**CHANGE: BEETLE!**

"Alright, time to Clock Up!" I said before pressing the Clock Up pad on the side of my belt.

**CLOCK UP!**

My whole world suddenly slowed down and I saw everything in slow motion. Looking to the Salis Worms that were trying to get up while in slow motion, I ran towards and gave them a few punches and kicks.

Kabuto let off an excited laugh as he said, "Nice job, Kurogasa! You're already getting the hang of this!"

"Yeah, I guess, but I still got a long way to go!" I said before switching my Kunai Gun to dagger mode and slashed two of the three Salis Worms. In real time, the Worms flipped through the air with sparks from the punches and kicks as the two I slashed exploded from the slashes in green flames.

"Alright, that's four down and one to go!" I cheered.

**CLOCK OVER!**

When I slowed back into real-time, Brenner and Koji both shot me a thumbs up. "Nice work, Kurogasa!" Brenner shouted.

"Way to go, bro! Now let's squash this last bug!" Koji shouted as he switched back to his M–16.

"You just read my mind!" I grinned behind my mask, but then…

*RATATATATATATATATATATATA!*

"Hahahahaha, I'm ba~ck!"

Looking up, much to our chagrin, charging forward in a dust cloud, was the Beast and his bandits. "Dang it!" Koji shouted.

Brenner growled, spitting on the ground angrily. Looking to me, he said, "Kurogasa, can you finish off this last Worm!?"

"You got it Boss!" I said with a two–finger salute, before turning to the Worm who was… already molting?! Oh crap!

A long, jagged crack formed along the Worm's exoskeleton as it began to molt. Each second, more cracks formed upon.

"I gotta destroy it before it evolves!" I shouted, turning my Kunai Gun back to axe mode.

"Kurogasa, no," Kabuto shouted, but it was too late.

I shouted, "HEE–YAAAAAAH!" as I slammed my axe down, only to be sent flying as my blow destroyed the Worm's exoskeleton, finishing its evolution.

When I could finally see it, I was disgusted. It had big red ruby eyes with a long pointed sucker. Its thorax–torso was black like coal as were its arms and legs which were covered in white stripes like a reverse zebra. Its wings were translucent silver and on its arms were each three curved blades. As for the sucker, I could have sworn I saw in it a circle of vampire fangs. This was the Mosquito Worm.

"Yabai…" Kabuto muttered.

"Man and I thought the Locust Worm was disgusting." I said. All of a sudden, he disappeared in a blur. "Oh crap, it clocked pp!" I said before hitting the Clock Up pad again.

**CLOCK UP!**

I ran towards the Worm and slashed at it with my axe, only for it to fly up and dodge my attack, slashing at my head with the blades on its right arm. Sparks flew as I groaned in pain, falling to the ground.

"Ow…" I groaned.

"You okay aibou?" Kabuto asked.

"Yeah… peachy…" I groaned.

"No time to get peachy! Here it comes!" Kabuto warned.

Looking in the direction of the buzzing, I saw the Worm come flying at me, slashing its blades against themselves threateningly. "Wait for it… Just like Lin taught me…" I said as I watched, "NOW!" I then dropped to my back just in time to avoid the slash from both sets of arm blades as I kicked up, slamming both my feet into its stomach as I slammed it head first into the ground.

I then jumped back to gain some distance.

"Nice work!" Kabuto praised.

"Thanks!" I said. "And I think it's time we finished this!"

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

I then pulled Kabuto's horn back to reveal its red side, charging up my power before I slammed the horn back down, revealing the yellow side again as blue electricity began charging in my chest and horn.

**RIDER KICK!**

But as soon as that happened, the Mosquito Worm… flew away?!

"What the…?" I said as I watched the thing fly away. All the energy I charged up dissipated as I watched the Worm flee. "That's weird."

Kabuto detached from me and my armor disappeared into motes of hexagon energy before being absorbed into the belt. "What the heck! We're about to finish off and then it flew away!" Kabuto fumed.

It must have sensed it was going to get squashed," I said as I watched the spot the Mosquito Worm disappeared into. Looking to Kabuto, I then said in shock. "Oh no everyone! I need to get back to the others. They're still fighting the Beast and his men!"

"They can take care of themselves! We need to go after the Worm!" Kabuto exclaimed.

"But–"

*BOOM!*

Kabuto and I went flying as a mortar exploded not too far from us. Luckily, I didn't get any shrapnel wounds, but _man_, did that hurt, hitting the ground after that. Pushing myself up, I said, "We can worry about the Worm later, Kabuto! The others need us now!"

"Doooooh…" Kabuto said. "Fine, but we better be quick about it!"

I nodded as I grabbed Kabuto out of the air, "Deal!" I then slid him back onto my belt to transform again, "Henshin!"

**HENSHIN!**

The hexagons appeared and formed into my armor once again before I ran to help Koji and the others.

* * *

><p>During the firefight, the Beast roared as he saw Koji finally during the battle. "Kill anyone of them you want, boys! But leave that one to me! He nearly took my head, so I'm going to take his!"<p>

His men near nodded as they continued firing while the Beast then took out a grenade launcher and shot at Koji.

"Boss watch out!" Rusk shouted as he pushed Koji aside, and when he did–

*BOOM!*

Rusk expected to find himself, dead, only to find that I had fallen down in front of him, the front of my armor in Masked Form blackened from taking the RPG hit. "Ugh… That hurt… more than I expected…"

"Kurogasa," Koji cried out.

"You okay?" I asked Rusk.

Rusk nodded as he got back up, scrambling for his rifle. "Y–Yeah…! Thanks, Kururugi!"

"No problem…"

"What the– What kind of freak are you?!" The Beast roared.

Turning to the Beast, I said, turning my Kunai Gun into gun mode, "You can call me Kabuto: Kamen Rider Kabuto."

"What?" The Beast asked confused. "Bah, whatever, it doesn't matter to me! You're gonna be like all the others: DEAD!" He shouted before launching another grenade.

Whipping my gun forward, I fired two laser blasts at the RPG, exploding it in midair. "Go, Koji!" I shouted.

"Right," He shouted back with a nod, running forward as he began firing towards the Beast.

"Think again you fool!" The Beast shouted before… a tank rolled out from out of nowhere and fired at us?!

Koji and I leapt out of the way of the blast as it exploded, sending us further back than we would have just by jumping. "HAHAHA, Didn't see _that_ coming, did ya, punks!?"

"Man, we ain't gonna get nowhere with that tank firing at us!" Koji gritted.

I looked to my friend and said, "If I cover you, can you destroy or disable that tank?"

"I can do that."

"Good." I nodded, before coming out of hiding. I flipped Kabuto's horn slightly and the armor spread itself out, ready to eject. "Cast off!" I shouted then flipped the horn completely to the other side and his shell opened up.

**CAST OFF!**

The armor shot off of me, sending in all directions before the horn appendage rose up and bisected the lens.

**CHANGE: BEETLE!**

Now in my faster, more streamlined Rider Form, I began running, distracting the Beast and his men as well as the tank, taking potshots at them with my Kunai Gun. While they were so focused on me, Koji began to sneak through the debris towards the tank, setting up a det–pack as he did.

"What's wrong? Am I moving too slowly?" I taunted. "Perhaps I should move faster!"

The Beast roared angrily as he loaded a new clip of ammo into his AK-47 and fired wildly at me. "ERGH, HOLD STILL SO I CAN CRUSH YOU, COCKROACH!"

Koji had finally managed to get to the tank. Looking back at me, he smirked as he said to himself, "Nice job buddy. Now it's my turn." Climbing up onto the tank, he knocked on the top hatch. When the gunner opened it up, Koji grinned with a wave and said, "Special delivery!" He then dropped the demo–charge down into the tank's cockpit, slamming the hatch lid down, hitting the gunner on the head. Hopping off of it, he then ran to cover as the tank exploded.

"What the–" The Beast shouted turning around to see the explosion.

"Pay attention!" I shouted while I was already in front of him. When he turned around to see me–

*POW!*

I kicked him where the sun doesn't shine.

"YEOOOOOW," The Beast roared in pain as his eyes nearly popped out of their eye sockets, causing him to drop to his knees, dropping his rifle as he cupped his family jewels.

"Heh, right out of Lin's book," I said to myself, thinking back to my earlier combat lesson. However, before I could deal with the Beast, several of his men opened fire on me and their combined fire forced me to pull back. "But where's Koji?"

Meanwhile, Koji found himself in a bit of a bind. After I knocked their leader out, several of his soldiers had gathered to keep me pinned, which by extension kinda pinned Koji down as he knew he couldn't run fast enough to get past them. "Dang… What do I do now?" Then, looking over his shoulder, he saw something in the back of a pick–up truck for the Beast's forces. "Eh?" Crawling over to it carefully, he pulled the tarp of to reveal: a motorcycle, _'No way!' _He thought. _'Please, still be working, baby!'_

Thankfully the key was in the ignition and when he turned the key…

*VROOM!*

"Alright, KAWABONGA," He shouted as he revved it up before riding right off the truck bed. He then rode straight down the hill. The Beast's soldiers as they saw him ride straight for them leapt out of the way as he rode off a rock and flew through the air, "WOOHOO!"

"What the–" I said surprised.

Koji then shot me a mock salute as he rode past and shouted, "Let's get out of here buddy! Mission accomplished!"

"I like the sound of that." I said as I stood up and got on the motorcycle behind Koji. Once he felt my armored arms around him, he revved up the motorcycle again and then drove off to join the rest of the unit.

"Grrrr… get back here!" The Beast roared, but it was no use.

* * *

><p>Koji and I laughed as we rode away, Kabuto hopping off my belt as I detransformed. Before long, we were home free and back at the base. "HAHAHA, Did you see the look on his face!?" Koji asked.<p>

"I sure did!" I laughed too. "The best part was when I kicked where the sun doesn't shine!"

Koji and I fist bumped as we hopped off the motorcycle. My buddy then said, "Yeah… Of course, now the Beast probably has an even _bigger_ price on my head."

"And I think he's gonna be going after me too." I added.

"Yeah, after hitting him in his manhood and for helping me out, he's probably gonna be interested in killing you, too."

"But right now, he isn't our problem!" Kabuto suddenly intervened, catching our attention. "That Mosquito Worm is still on the loose!"

Koji looked to me in shock as he said, "The Worm escaped!?"

"Yeah…" I sighed. "Just when I was about to do the Rider Kick it flew away."

Koji frowned thoughtfully as he said, "Well, we can't do anything about it now. But I'll let Capt. Brenner know. For now, let's go find out what happened with that survivor."

"Right," I nodded.

* * *

><p>Koji and I headed to the infirmary where Brenner, Lin, and Will were waiting as Rika finished her check up on the girl we found. "So, how is she?"<p>

"Just a few bruises here and there, but other than that, she's fine." Rika said.

"Find out anything new about her?" Koji asked.

"Other than the fact that she has amnesia and that she somehow knows all the military stuff, which by the way freaked me out a little bit, no."

"Hmmm…" I said as I thought, feeling bad for the girl.

"How did it go out there, boys?" Brenner asked as he, Lin, and Will joined us.

"We routed out the enemy." I said.

"And we got ourselves a new motorcycle!" Koji added.

Stauffenburg, who despite being all the way down the hall, heard Koji's statement and gave out a huge "HOORAY!" as he charged down the hall. "Excellent! Now, I can use it to begin construction on my first Rider Machine!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa easy there Speedy, calm down," Koji said, holding him back.

Stauffenburg took a few deep breaths as he said, "Sorry, just got really excited."

Kabuto scoffed. "That's your excuse for everything! Do you know how many times you nearly fried my motherboard because of your 'excitement!?'"

"Pfft, you're fine."

"Say that to the _other_ ZECTers!"

Stauffenburg grumbled as he tried to catch Kabuto, only to have the mechanical beetle easily fly out of his hands, giving him a raspberry as he flew about.

"Okay Kabuto calm down." I sighed as I finally caught him. "You need to relax."

Kabuto then crawled onto my shoulder as he said, "See, this is why I like you, Kurogasa. You can actually be calm."

"I _AM_ CALM!" Stauffenburg shouted before getting the Vulcan Nerve Pinch from Rika, knocking him out.

"Guys, yelling and screaming isn't what my patient needs right now."

"Heh, heh warui…" Kabuto chuckled sheepishly.

Rika smiled then as she said, "Daijobu." Becoming a little more serious, she then looked to Brenner and said, "Captain, the girl is asking to see Will."

Lin looked confused as she said, "Why Will?"

"He was the one who showed the most concern when we rescued her. She probably feels safest with him," Rika explained.

Koji snickered at that, and I knew what that meant, "Koji, don't you tease him." I frowned.

Koji smiled at me and said, "Oh don't worry, buddy, I won't. See, as an academy cadet that means Will, will, one day be an officer, so I can't. Besides, I doubt his reactions would be as fun as yours."

My eye twitched at that, "You wouldn't dare…"

Koji winked at me as he said, "Care to find out?"

"Koji, don't you do it…"

Just then, Koji winced as he felt Rika's nails dig into his ear. "Iteiteiteiteite, Okay, okay, okay!"

"That's what I thought." Rika scoffed before she let go. As Koji nursed his ear, Will, went into the room to see the girl.

"Geez, you really need to ease up on those pinches…" Koji winced.

Rika waved off the comment dismissively. "Or maybe you need to toughen up, Soldier Boy."

"Ugh…" Koji groaned. This is gonna be a long day…

* * *

><p><em>"How are you feeling?" Will asked as he approached the girl.<em>

_"I'm… okay…" The girl said._

_"That's good to hear." Will smiled. "For a while there, I thought you were going to die."_

_The girl nodded as she continued to say nothing as she sat on the bed. Cautiously, Will sat down next to her, putting a uniform jacket over her shoulders as she seemed cold. "Don't worry… We'll take care of you as long as you're with us."_

_The girl smiled gently as she nodded at that._

_Will smiled as well, glad that the girl seemed okay. After a few moments of silence, he said, "Hmmm… still… we should think of something to call you, at least until we learn what your real name is."_

_"We can… do that later…" The girl said before she yawned a bit. "I need… sleep…" She then looked to Will and said, "But… I just… wanted to say… thank you, for saving me."_

_"You're welcome." Will said._

_As the girl fell asleep, Rika came in the examining room and said, "We have an extra tent she can stay in. Could you help me get her into the wheelchair so I can wheel her over?"_

_"Sure, I can do that." Will said, with with a nod. Gently, Will scooped her into his arms and placed into the wheelchair. Rika then began to roll her out, but a military nurse instead offered to do it._

_"I'll take over from here. You have other patients to look after." The nurse said. Rika nodded and thanked the nurse as she rolled the girl out of the infirmary._

* * *

><p><em>While the soldiers of the Rubinelle Army were busy moving about, doing their work to keep things going on the base, the Mosquito Worm was hiding off in the distance, the tongue inside his long sucker licking the outside of his sucker as he looked at all the machines. Making buzzing noises, it crept up towards the machines while evading the soldiers from spotting it.<em>

_Quickly flying up over the fence, it crawled over to one of the generators and, attaching its sucker to the generator, it began to suck the energy out of it, causing electrical fluctuations to occur._

_"Hey you, what are you doing over there?!" A soldier shouted._

_When the Worm heard this, it detached from the generator and flew into the soldier, knocking him to the ground as it assimilated his form._

_"What the–" the original soldier got out surprised._

_The Worm quickly turned into the soldier, smiling evilly before returning to its Worm form. It then grabbed the soldier's head and with one powerful twist broke his neck. It then went back to sucking out the energy from the generator._

_This was not gonna be good…_

* * *

><p>Back in the main part of the base, Koji, Brenner, Lin, Will, Rika, and I having left the infirmary, we became extremely confused as the lights and the other electrical devices began flickering on and off.<p>

"Huh?" Will said confused.

"It looks like we got somewhat of a power outage." Brenner noticed.

"That's weird," Koji said, looking at the lights. "Captain, want me to get one of my guys to check it out?"

"It's probably nothing." Brenner waved off. That's when _all_ the lights suddenly went off.

"And now that nothing became something." I said.

"Yeah, nice going jinxing us," Kabuto commented. Brenner shot Kabuto a look, making the ZECTer back down.

Suddenly, we heard the sound of screaming, gunfire, and explosions from outside.

"We're under attack!" Will exclaimed.

Kabuto looked to me and said, "Aibou, the Worm! That must be it!"

"Are you sure?" I gasped.

"I'm positive!" Kabuto said. "That Mosquito Worm must be the one that sucked up all the power in this here joint!"

"Dang it," I shouted.

Koji looked to me as he said, "Shall we squash this bug for good, buddy?"

"Yeah, let's do it!" I said. "Let's go Kabuto!"

"Oh yeah, it's time to squash that Worm!" Kabuto cheered before flying into my hand.

I caught him and shouted, "Henshin!" and slid him on my belt.

**HENSHIN!**

The red hexagons quickly covered me as I entered Masked Form, Koji running after me outside.

"Sir, we should get the rest of the troops out there to help!" Lin suggested.

With a nod, Brenner said, "Right! Mobilize all of Alpha and Bravo Companies, and keep Charlie on standby!"

"Yes sir!" Lin nodded.

"What can I do?" Will asked.

"You can protect that girl. She's your responsibility now."

Will was a little shocked by that, "M–My responsibility?"

"Yes, your responsibility. Keep her safe. Have Rika help you out." Brenner said before he and Lin ran off.

Will nodded hesitantly as he replied, "Yes, Sir." He then grabbed an M–9 pistol and ran to the girl's tent.

"Hey, wait up!" Rika shouted going after him.

* * *

><p>When we arrived outside, things had gotten pretty crazy. Thanks to the energy boost the Mosquito Worm got from the generator and a few other electrical devices on the base, it had grown stronger, its body having gotten bigger, its arm-blades getting larger and sharper, and its speed having increased, even when not Clocked Up.<p>

"Whoa, that thing's on electrical steroids!" Koji cried out.

Kurogasa, even clocked up, I don't know if we can keep up with that thing!" Kabuto replied.

"We'll find a way Kabuto." I said. "We just gotta find a way."

**["I might just have it!"]** Stauffenburg said over Koji's radio.

"Huh? Dr. Stauffenburg?" Koji said, bringing the radio to his mouth to talk into it. "Is that you?"

**["You bet it is! And thanks to my nonstop work, I have my Rider Machine prototype ready!"]** Stauffenburg replied excitedly.

Koji and I looked at each other in disbelief. "You really have the Rider Machine done?" I asked.

I could practically hear the muscles and bones in Stauffenburg's neck move as he nodded over the radio, clearly excited. **["Yes! If you Clock Up and hurry here quickly, you should be able to get it and be back on the field in time to finish off the Worm!"]**

"Alright then, I'll see ya in a couple minutes!" I said. "Let's go Kabuto!"

"You got it, aibou!" Kabuto said excitedly as I flipped his horn slightly and the parts of my armor began opening to Cast Off.

"Cast Off!"

**CAST OFF!**

As the bits of my outer armor detached and I entered Rider Form.

**CHANGE: BEETLE!**

I then tapped Kabuto to enter Clock Up mode.

**CLOCK UP!**

The world slowed down to a near standstill, the only one still moving aside from me being the Worm. But due to the energy it absorbed from the generator, it was moving slightly faster than me. Luckily, it was too distracted, eating the energy from another generator to notice me running past.

"I better make it quick." I said as I started running to where Dr. Stauffenburg is at.

Quickly, I arrived at the workshop Stauffenburg was using. Exiting Clock Up mode, I went over to him and said, "Alright, Doc, is it ready?"

"You bet it is! Meet your new ride: The Kabuto Extender!"

The Kabuto Extender was the same Honda CBR1000RR that Koji had gotten. Its front half was heavily protected like a shell having a red beetle horn on it. It was red while the back half was silver. "Whoa! This is amazing!" I said as I examined the Rider Machine.

"I knew you'd like it." Stauffenburg grinned. As I got onto it, Stauffenburg then explained, "Just like you, it has two forms: Masked Form, which is what it is currently in, being more defended, and its Ex Mode, which helps for finishing off enemies."

I revved up the engine a bit before nodding to the doctor as I said, "Alright, thanks, Doc. I'll put this to good use!"

"I'm sure you will. Now get going! Who knows what that Worm's doing now?!"

I shot him a thumbs–up as I revved the engine and rode out of the garage, heading back to the battle. The Worm was no longer in Clock Up mode, sucking out energy from a third generator with several of the soldiers on the ground, dead or knocked out, I couldn't tell. Koji was firing at it with his M–16, but by this point, the Worm was completely unaffected.

"Oi, aibou, let's test out your new toy!" Kabuto suggested.

"My thoughts exactly, aibou, let's go!" I shouted as I rode towards the Worm. Grabbing my Kunai Gun, I raised it and began shooting at the Worm, causing it to stop its draining of energy and then, after switching it into axe form, I slashed at the monster, the power of my slash combined with the speed of the Kabuto Extender sending the Worm flying halfway across the base.

"Yeah, take that!" I cheered.

"Whew… that's a sweet ride man!" Koji whistled.

"Thanks!" I shouted with a two finger salute as I turned around and rode towards the Mosquito Worm again as it tried to get back up.

"No you don't!" I said, before I pressed a button on the Kabuto Extender.

**CAST OFF!**

Suddenly, the front part of the Kabuto Extender popped off as the front wheel split in two and spread apart. Then, a giant lance/spear–like weapon came sticking out the front of the motorcycle. "Whoa! Looks like we're going jousting, Kabuto!"

"Yeah, it does! Let's skewer that bug!" Kabuto said excited.

I then hit the Clock Up button on Kabuto.

**CLOCK UP!**

"Alright, big and ugly, it's time to skewer ya!" I said as I revved the engine more towards the Mosquito Worm as the spear like horn charged up with energy and… my motorcycle started to hover?

"What the– We're floating, Kabuto!"

"Yeah, in Clock Up mode, it looks like the Extender can defy gravity!"

"That's even better!" I grinned. "Alright, let's do this!" I said before going at full speed. The Mosquito Worm noticed me and tried to get away, but I wasn't gonna let it. The Mosquito Worm spread its wings and flew into the air, trying to fly away. But as I let out a yell, I pushed the engine of the Kabuto Extender to the max and, with the energy all around the lance I impaled the Worm, flying right through it as blue electricity began covering its body before it exploded in green flames.

"WOHOO, GOOD JOB AIBOU!" Kabuto cheered.

"Yeah, thanks!" I smiled.

I then landed the Kabuto Extender to the ground and after that-

**CLOCK OVER!**

When I landed, the Kabuto Extender returned to Masked Form and immediately, the soldiers still alive began to clap and cheer for me as they came over to congratulate me.

"Hoo–rah, you squashed that bug!" One soldier praised.

"Yeah, that thing was toast!" A second added.

Koji ran over to me and high–fived me as I de–henshined. "Dude, that was incredible! I have _got_ to get me one of those puppies!"

"Yeah, if you can _find_ one that is," I chuckled.

He just chuckled at that as Rika, Brenner, and Lin approached me. "Kurogasa, that was incredible!" Rika said as she hugged me.

"Heh, heh, thanks Rika." I chuckled, hugging her back.

Lin then said with a smirk, "I'm impressed, Kururugi. One training session, and you're already getting tossed around less."

"Uh… thanks." I blushed a bit.

"Oooooh, do I hear the sound of a heart fluttering?" Koji teased.

"Koji~" I growled.

Brenner then came forward before anything else could come from my friend's mouth as he said, "Way to work out there, kid. You made the whole battalion proud out there."

"Thanks Captain." I smiled, but then realized something. "By the way, where're Will and the girl?"

"Will's been with her in the tent we gave her to stay in, making sure she was alright," the captain explained.

"Okay, that's good." I sighed in relief. "I was afraid they might be attacked."

"Well, they're okay. One of the soldiers radioed me on their condition." Brenner said. "Anyways, let's all head back to base and tend to the survivors."

* * *

><p><em>Unknown to them, a small mechanical bug robot the size of a flash drive recorded everything that happened. It was now on its way back to where it came from and after flying a while longer, the bug robot returned to its master's hand.<em>

_Taking the robot, he set it on the lab table and plugged it into the computer near him and began to watch the footage, namely Kurogasa's battles with the Mosquito Worm. "Hmmm… Interesting… I must learn more of these… ZECTers… If I could harness its power for myself…"_

* * *

><p>There you go people, that's the second chapter of Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin! And we already got some foreshadowing at that last part! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: Freehaven

**Fenikkusumaru:** Hey there everyone! It's your buddy Fen along with Serpentdragon, bringing you the latest chapter of Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin!

**Serpentdragon:** What's up, everybody!? Well, we certainly have an exciting new chapter of Kabuto for you, including... The inclusion of our next Rider! The question is: Which one is it? AND who will be that Rider!?

**Fen:** They're gonna have to find out by reading, man. You know that.

**SD:** I know, I know. I'm just trying to get them excited for it!

**Fen:** But anyways, let's get to it! The next chapter of Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin!

**SD:** Let's do it!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

><p>The senior staff of the 12th Battalion all gathered in the briefing room, waiting for Brenner to give us the information for our next mission. Apparently, Recon Platoon from Bravo Company had found reports of another village of survivors not too far from our base. Brenner wanted to see if we could do something to help them.<p>

"You found a village?" I asked.

"Surprising huh?" Koji said. "You'd think that we're the only ones here on this planet but the reports say otherwise."

Brenner gave a nod as he pointed to a red dot on the digital map on the monitor. "Yeah, see this spot on the map? That's our next destination. It's a small village."

"There's a village with actual people living there?" Will asked.

"That's right. The earthquakes and tidal waves destroyed most of the cities, but… in some places, survivors have begun banding together." Brenner said. "This village is one such area. Amidst the anarchy and chaos, they've come together to reestablish laws and government."

"Why do they have laws?" Will questioned. "The world's been destroyed. There's no one left to help them _enforce_ their laws."

"That's why they're doing it on their own. They need some way to create order." Brenner explained. "No one forced them to do it. It's just natural to try to prevent murder and other crimes. You see, Will? Even in the most unexpected places, humanity shows its inherent virtue."

Lin sighed as she said, "Permission to disagree, Captain?" She asked. "It's not proof of virtue. It's simply a survival strategy. A society that doesn't punish murderers is a society where anyone can be murdered: A society of sleepless nights where people live in fear of everyone around them. When faced with that, it only makes sense to band together and agree to prohibit murder. People are motivated by their own interests. The meteors didn't change that at all."

Koji smirked slightly as he said, "Always the idealist, aren't you, LT?"

"They certainly didn't change _you_, did they Lin?" Brenner slightly frowned. "I see you still don't factor in human decency."

I looked to Lin and asked her, "What does the captain mean by that?"

Lin waved her hand dismissively as she said, "Don't worry about it."

Brenner then turned to Will, saying, "As for you, Will, you and the girl will be safe once we get you to the village. You're civilians, so they'll welcome you with open arms."

"Yeah, let's hope they would." Rika said. "The last thing we need is people getting hostile towards us."

Will looked surprised at this as he said, "W–Wait! You guys are trying to get rid of us!?"

"No, we didn't say that." Brenner said calmly.

"I think you're kinda jumping the gun Will." I said.

"I–I'm sorry." He sunk into his chair slightly as he said, "I… I just wanted to make sure that you guys aren't trying to get rid of us. I want to continue helping you guys."

"Well, that depends on the villagers there." I said. "I mean, Brenner's doing what's best for you and her, but it's your decision overall whether you want to stay here with us or not."

"I want to stay." Will said firmly, "I mean, I was going to the Academy, I was going to be an army officer."

Koji looked at him and said, "That's fine and all, kid, but… what about the girl? Does she want to stay?" Will flinches at that, "Haven't thought of that have ya?"

"Well… no…"

"Look, all I'm asking, Will, is that you talk to the girl first and see what she wants." Koji explained.

"Okay…" Will nodded.

"Alright then, let's head out to the village. Lin, I want all personnel to clear out the base and gather all our equipment and provisions. We're moving out." Brenner ordered.

"Yes sir." Lin saluted.

* * *

><p><strong>(Cue Theme D–Technolife by UVERworld)<strong>

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi yo)** The scenery is a barren wasteland, with a sky that blotted out the sun. The camera pans slowly to the right as Kurogasa, with his back facing the camera, looks at the barren wasteland on top of a cliff.  
><strong>(Kesenai kako mo seoiatteikou ikiru koto o nagedasanai de)<strong> The camera then suddenly changes to a close up of Kurogasa's face before it went around his head, the camera's view being blocked momentarily when it reached the back of his head and when the camera finally circles to the side of his face, it showed Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Kabuto, before panning out showing him in his full armor. Looking up at the sky, a ray of light suddenly burst through the clouds shining on Kabuto before the screen goes white.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] tsunaida kimi no te o)** The title Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin appears on the screen and just before the song enters the next phrase, the ZECTers flew, crawled, and hopped around the title from behind and jumped towards the screen before changing to the next scene.

**(Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana)** Koji sits on the edge of his bed, sadly looking at his guitar on one side, his rifle on the other, as Gatack flew up and lands on his shoulder.  
><strong>(Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara)<strong> Rika was in the medical wing of the base, sighing and wiping sweat off her brow as she tries to organize her medical supplies, Sasword crawling around on a table while Brenner, Lin, Isabella, and Will were discussing plans for their next move.

**(Hibiku~ boku wo yobu koe sae kare)** Kurogasa was cooking and Kabuto watched on his shoulder before Kurogasa noticed something from afar on the horizon.  
><strong>(Toki ni sou kaze ni kakikesaretatte)<strong> Drake and TheBee fly past him as we see what Kurogasa was looking out: a swarm of Salis Worms flanking Dr. Caulder with Admiral Greyfield, Waylon, showing up one end of the battlefield along with Tasha and Gage on another end and they sending out their troops alerting the 12th Platoon.

**(Kimi wo mitsu–ke–da–su)** Kurogasa grabs Kabuto and transforms into Kamen Rider Kabuto, before casting off his armor and charging towards Dr. Caulder.

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi mou)** Dr. Caulder snaps his fingers and Kamen Rider Punch and Kick Hopper appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Kabuto for an attack only for the latter to dodge before going to attack them.  
><strong>(Waraenai nante, hito kirai nante kotoba sou iwanaide)<strong> Koji transforms into Kamen Rider Gatack and leads the Tech Platoon with their heavy weapons attacking some of the Salis Worms as Brenner transforms into Kamen Rider TheBee and he, Lin, and Will attack the rest of the forces.  
><strong>(Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara)<strong> Rika and David "Deadeye" Stevens transforms into Kamen Rider Sasword and Kamen Rider Drake respectively and attack some of the Salis Worms.  
><strong>(Ima wa sono mama de ii, kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou [WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH])<strong> As Kurogasa battles Punch Hopper and Kick Hopper, Caulder surprisingly joins in and transforms into Kamen Rider Caucasus, going to punch Kurogasa, only for the latter to dodge and he and Caluder stared each other down.

**(You and Me, two have spoken.)** The Hyper ZECTer appears from the distortion of time and Kurogasa grabs it to become Hyper Kabuto.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] Itsuka wakariaeru kara)** Kurogasa then grabs the Perfect ZECTer and he and Caucasus leap at each other, their attack causing a huge flash of light. When the light fades, we see Kurogasa, Koji, Rika, Brenner, Will, Lin, Isabella, Tasha, Gage, and Stauffenburg looking out into the sunset, the ZECTers with them as well before the song ends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 3: Freehaven<p>

We loaded up a few Humvees and made our way over to the village. According to the makeshift sign, the name of the place was called Freehaven. "Hmmm… appropriate name for a place people are using to escape the devastation." Rika mused.

"Yeah, no kidding," I agreed. "Though for a rundown village, it looks to be in good condition: _too_ good condition."

"Let's see why it's like that then." Brenner said as we made our way towards the village. As we did, a few people from the village started to come towards us, nervously carrying weapons.

"Hold it right there! Identify yourselves!" One of the civilians shouted.

"D–Don't try anything funny! We've got snipers watching you!" A youth added. Koji looked around and grunted in confirmation.

"He's right, they got snipers." Koji gritted.

"Easy now," Brenner replied. "I'm Captain Brenner, commanding officer of the 12th Battalion of the Rubinelle Army."

"What if you're with those raiders? What if you're here to attack us?" The civilian asked.

"What? They think we're raiders?" I asked confused.

"Yeah, I bet that's it! You came back to kill us all, didn't you?" The youth shouted.

"Actually, quite the opposite, we're here to see if we can help you." Koji stated.

Brenner then added, "Listen, we don't want trouble. Your mayor owes me his life. Tell him my name, and I'm sure he'll agree to see us."

Will then stepped forward saying, "C'mon guys! Help us out, will you?"

The civilian looked surprised seeing him, "Hey… You're too young to be one of them raiders. Maybe you're ok _after_ all. Wait here! I'll go get the mayor." He said before running off.

"About time…" Brenner sighed.

"Nice job Will." I grinned, patting his shoulder.

"Thanks," Will said, sheepishly, scratching his cheek.

After he said that, we all took a seat on some of the benches made out of debris as we waited for the civilians to return with the mayor.

"Hmm…?" Dr. Stauffenburg said looking at some sort of hand held PDA he was carrying with him.

"What's wrong Doctor?" I asked.

"I'm picking up an interesting signal." Stauffenburg replied, getting up and walking a bit to try and get a signal. "I think it's one of the ZECTers!"

We all looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure?" Brenner asked.

"Oh yes, I'm positive! It's one of the ZECTers alright!" Dr. Stauffenburg cheered. "The only question is: Which one?"

Kabuto then popped out of my bag and said excitedly, "One of the other ZECTers is here!? Oh boy! It's one of my pals!"

"Yeah, but we don't know which one." I reminded.

Kabuto didn't seem deflated at all. "That's okay! The point is one of them is here! I just gotta find him!"

"I'll be the one doing the finding." Dr. Stauffenburg huffed. "You stay with Kurogasa. He might need you at a moment's notice."

Kabuto nodded before landing on my shoulder as he said, "Okay… Fair enough. I guess you're right, Doc."

"Hey, we have the mayor here!" The civilian shouted to us.

We all got up as the mayor approached us, smiling. "It's good to see you, Mr. Mayor," Brenner said. The mayor was a man in his late forties, slightly pudgy, with gray hair in a receding hairline, with a red button–up shirt, and gray pants. However, he was not happy to see Brenner.

"So it really _is_ you. Your weapons and uniforms have my people scared half to death." The Mayor frowned. "What do you want, Brenner? We're trying to live in peace. We don't need your kind here."

"So it seems." Brenner narrowed as his smile turned into a frown. "Don't worry, we'll move out as soon as we finish what we came here for. We rescued some civilians a few clicks back, including an injured girl. I want you to take them."

The Mayor grunted at this. "I hope you're not marching in here and giving us orders. I truly don't. Things aren't that simple, friend. My village is barely getting by as is."

"No one's giving orders." Brenner retorted. "I'm asking for your help. They're just a couple of kids. They're not going to make it out there alone."

"And that's not _our_ fault!" The Mayor snapped. "We didn't make this world, but we have to live in it. That's reality."

Koji looked at the mayor in disbelief as he said, "Seriously? These people need help! You see the state the world is in and you're really gonna shove them away?"

"And as for reality, the reality is that there's nothing out there but cockroaches and corpses." Brenner growled. "These people survived. They're alive, and it's up to us to keep them that way."

"Maybe that was true before, but now? I don't think so." The Mayor said. "Millions and millions of people are dead. I don't think a couple more is such a tragedy. The more people we have living here, the more mouths we have to feed. We can't afford it."

"So you think they're not worth saving?!" I shouted.

Koji scoffed. "Typical… Darwin would be so proud, seeing survival of the fittest at work."

"That's not what I'm saying!" The Mayor shouted. "We don't want to see anyone die! But your captain here doesn't know what he's asking. We simply don't have the means to take them in. I'm sorry."

"I see." Brenner sighed, rubbing his temple.

The mayor then looked at us sadly as he said, "You're soldiers. You can use your weapons to take what you need. All we want is to be left in peace. Now do us a favor, and take your troubles elsewhere."

Rika just sighed as she rubbed her eyes and said, "Great… so much for that."

"You heard the mayor! Hit the road! We don't need warmongers in our lives! You read me?" The civilian shouted, raising his weapon at us.

Brenner raised his hands in a placating manner as he replied, "I read you." Then, turning to Will, he said, "Sorry, Will, but it looks like you're going to be traveling with us until we find another village."

"Don't worry, Captain." Will said. "That's fine with–"

"Head for cover, those raiders are back! Where's the mayor?!" A citizen shouted, interrupting Will.

Uh oh… Looking to Brenner, I said, "Think it's the Beast, Captain?"

"I sure hope not."

"Regardless, I think we should go deal with these guys, Captain." Koji said.

"You're right." Brenner nodded before turning to me, "Kurogasa, suit up. We're gonna be protecting these villagers."

"You got it, Captain!" I then looked to Kabuto who flew off my shoulder as I said, "Let's go, aibou!"

"You got it aibou!" Kabuto said before flying around me before I caught him in my hand.

"Let's do this!" I said before shouting, "Henshin!" and slid him onto the buckle.

**HENSHIN!**

The red hexagonal patterns began covering my body, putting me into my Masked Form armor. As I finished transforming, the rest of the soldiers began getting ready for combat. "Lin, I need our Humvees and tanks setting up a perimeter around the village." Brenner added. "Koji, you and your platoon do what you do best."

"You got it, Captain," Koji said as he got Tech Platoon together and, had them; head out to prepare for the enemy attack.

"Doc, you and Dr. Ryusaki find that ZECTer. We can't have it fall to the enemy's hand."

"You got it." Dr. Stauffenburg replied. Looking to Rika, he said, "I got a lock on the signal, off in that direction."

"Lead the way." Rika nodded.

* * *

><p>Leading the charge towards the town, the Beast grinned evilly when he saw what was going on through his binoculars. "Perfect… Look at this, roaches! Soldier boy's visiting our village! Nothing, like a nice day of raiding, murder, and revenge, ha, ha, ha, ha!"<p>

Brenner looked in the direction of the approaching force and sighed, "Looks like you were right, Sergeant Shinamori. It's the Beast's boys, alright."

"I thought so." Koji sighed too.

Grunting, Brenner said, "Alright, well let's give him all we got! Engage!"

"Ha, ha, it looks like I can get another chance at killing the guy that almost shot my head! Alright roaches, let 'em have it!" The Beast roared.

The mayor came rushing over to Brenner, Koji, Lin, and I and shouted, frightened, "Dear mother of mercy! Look at those savages! You've got to help us, Brenner! They've destroyed every village in the region, and now they've come for us!"

Koji scoffed. "Oh, of course… You rebuff our request for help yet as soon as you need us, you come crying."

"They have tanks! We have nothing but rocks and sticks! Please you have to help us!"

"Relax, we'll help you," Koji replied shortly.

"Easy, Staff Sergeant," Brenner replied. Looking to the mayor, he then said, "Leave them to us, Mr. Mayor. You get your people out of here. Start evacuating!"

"Right," The Mayor said, "In regards to payment…"

"There's no time for that now! Get moving!" Brenner urged.

As the civilians started to evacuate, Lin got our attention as she said, "Captain, the enemy has us at a disadvantage. They outnumber us 3:1."

"How bad are we talking here?" Brenner asked.

"Four tanks and two full infantry platoons, plus two Humvees loaded with heavy machine guns." Lin replied after getting a second look at the enemy through her binoculars.

"Great…" Brenner gritted.

"And there's no doubt The Beast is gonna try to go for your head Koji." I added.

"I'm used to it by now. It's a good thing he has crappy aim." Koji smirked. "Well, aibou, what do you say we go take Tech Platoon to even the odds?"

"You just read my mind." I smirked behind my mask. I then loaded the Kabuto Extender out of the back of one of the Humvees as Koji and his men loaded into another one. After that, I revved the engine and said "Okay guys, try and keep up!" before I sped off.

Koji hit the gas of the Humvee and followed after me as the rest of the battalion opened fire on the Beast's men.

* * *

><p><em>"Ohhhhhhh, where is that ZECTer?" Stauffenburg said getting a bit impatient, as he and Rika kept walking around.<em>

_Rika sighed as she paused for a moment to catch her breath. "If it's moving, then maybe our best bet is to wait for it to start moving in our direction and go to catch it, rather than chasing it." She then heard the sounds of battle starting in the distance. "Oh no…"_

_"Yes, I hear it too. Another battle…" Stauffenburg sighed wearily. "We might as well get going before this place becomes a battlefield."_

_Just as they prepared to start walking, Rika paused. "Doc… do you hear that?"_

_*BZZZZ!*_

_"Yes, I do, but… where is it coming from?" Stauffenburg wondered._

_Closing her eyes, Rika listened to the buzzing a little more. "It's from… over there, on our right!" The two turned to the right and soon enough, they spotted a mechanical wasp with yellow wings that has black eyes, a slender silver body, and is smaller than Kabuto._

_"Doo–dee–doo–dee–doo, man, it's so cool getting to explore the world, now that I'm finally away from that stuffy scientist. Shame I only get to see it after it has been devastated." the wasp themed ZECTer said as it flew around._

_"AHA! I found you!" Stauffenburg shouted, pointing at it._

_"Uh–oh," The ZECTer said as it turned to them. "Guess Hide and Seek is over…"_

_"You are in _big_ trouble TheBee!" Stauffenburg shouted, stomping over it. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you and the other ZECTers have caused me?!"_

_TheBee flew over to Stauffenburg and said, "Do you have any idea how boring it was for us, cooped up in your lab? Or how maybe we didn't like the ZECT agents you picked to partner up with us?"_

_"You ZECTers were perfectly compatible with those agents!"_

_"So _you_ think," TheBee accused. "Just because biologically we matched, there's more to it than that to see if we and a human would make good partners."_

_"Oh is that what you think?!"_

_"Yeah, that's what I think!"_

_"Hai, hai, that's enough you two!" Rika said getting in between the two and pushing them back._

_TheBee looked to Rika and flew over to her, examining her. "Hi there, I'm TheBee! What's your name?"_

_"I'm Rika. It's nice to meet you!" Rika smiled._

_"It's nice to meet you, Rika!" TheBee replied happily. "Hmmm…" TheBee flew back from Rika, suddenly and looked in the direction of the battle in the distance. "I think I'm detecting a potential partner."_

_"Huh? You do?" Rika blinked._

_"Mhmm," TheBee nodded. "I can sense them, and… oh no!"_

_"What's wrong?" Stauffenburg asked._

_"I'm detecting a Worm near there, too!"_

_"There's a Worm?!" Rika gasped._

_"Yep, I better get to it!" TheBee said before flying off to that direction._

_"Wait!" Stauffenburg shouted but it was no use. "Good grief, if that potential partner is there, they're gonna need the Rider Brace in order for them to use TheBee!"_

_"Then let's get over there!" Rika shouted as she and Stauffenburg ran after TheBee._

* * *

><p><em>Hidden amongst the Beast's men was one soldier who seemed to be like the others, except for the evil grin on his face as he slipped away from the front line. He had short cut red hair, blue-green eyes, tanned skin, several facial scars, a tan tank top, olive green combat pants, and tan desert boots. He licked his lips as he saw the village behind the Rubinelle forces. "Plenty of potential hosts for the rest of my species…"<em>

_And that was when the person morphed into a Salis Worm and started molting into its mature form._

_When it completed its metamorphosis, the Worm was now a brown skinned monstrosity with black and gray markings all over its body. It had a long thorax extending from above its waist on the back with eight long, hairy arachnid legs coming from them as well. Instead of fingers, it had three pointy claws. Its head was very much like a tarantula, possessing eight glowing red eyes with long, hair jewels with black fangs extending from them. This was the Tarantula Worm._

_After that, a ghost image stuck out of its head revealing his human form, "Now… it's time for me to feast." He said before the ghost image disappeared and the Tarantula Worm sped off in a blur._

* * *

><p>Koji and I were making good pace towards the Beast's tanks. While I was in Masked Form, I was able to provide a good barrier for Tech Platoon, the majority of the bullets from his men were deflecting off my armor, even though they were pushing me back a bit as I fired at them with my Kunai Ax Gun. "Koji now would be a good time for you and your men to make their move!"<p>

"Yeah, I gotcha," Koji said. "Alright men, move out! Kurogasa's got you covered! Go! Go! Go!"

Koji and Sgt. Rusk each led half of Tech Platoon off towards the tanks, shooting at the Beast's men while they made their way forward. _'Hopefully…'_ Koji thought to himself as he made his way over, _'The Beast is almost out of his supply of tanks.'_

However, as I continued to fire lasers at the enemies, Kabuto piped up with, "Aibou, I'm detecting a Worm in the area, one stronger than the last two!"

"What? Are you sure?" I gasped as I stopped. "Where is it headed?"

"It… Oh no," Kabuto said worriedly. "It's already here!"

"WHAT?" I gawked.

"Aibou, abenai," Kabuto shouted.

I looked up just in time to see the Worm pile drive itself into me, sending me crashing into one of the two other Rubinelle Humvees and… Man, were these Worms getting uglier with each one!?

This Worm is brown skinned with black and gray markings all over its body. It had a long thorax extending from above its waist on the back with eight long, hairy arachnid legs coming from them. Instead of fingers, it had three pointy claws. Its head was tarantula like, possessing eight glowing red eyes with long, hair jewels with black fangs extending from them. This is the Tarantula Worm and its ugly!

"Ready to, Cast Off aibou?" Kabuto asked as I slowly got to my feet, seeing the Worm begin to attack both the Beast _and_ the Rubinelle forces.

"You know it." I said before I flipped Kabuto's horn slightly. Electricity and steam went off as the heavy parts of my armor slightly spread out as I heard the charging sound. I then touched the horn and shouted, "Cast Off!" before flipping Kabuto's horn completely.

**CAST OFF!**

The heavy parts of my armor then shot out, with various parts hitting the Beast's soldiers before the horn came up and locked into place.

**CHANGE: BEETLE!**

"Ergh, What the–" The Beast shouted as he examined both the Worm and Rubinelle army. "Ugh… Shoot them both!" But as he shouted that, he heard the sound of explosions behind him, looking to see Tech Platoon coming charging out of the flames of his now blown up tanks and begin attacking his men from behind, "You again?!"

"We're baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!" Koji yelled, with a smug grin.

The Beast growled as he took a machine gun and began firing at Koji and his men. "You roaches crush the bug and kill the rest of the Rubinelle punks! This one is mine!"

"Return fire!" Koji shouted back. "Take out his men!"

Meanwhile, in the middle of all the cross fire, I was in battle with the Tarantula Worm, using my Kunai Ax Gun in Ax Mode to try and attack it, but unfortunately, as Kabuto said, this Worm was much stronger than expected.

**CLOCK UP!**

My whole world slowed down while the Tarantula Worm and I were at normal speed even though we're not. I charged at the Worm, but before I could hit it, it spat these toxic barbs at me that numbed my leg, allowing it to slash across my chest.

A ghost image of his human form stuck out as it said mockingly, while approaching me, _"Heh, heh, heh… Can't handle my sting, can you, Kabuto?"_

"Darn it. This just _had_ to happen at the worst possible time!" I clenched in pain. Dang, this poison is really getting to me!

_"Now that you're out of commission for a while, I can go deal with Phase II of my plan."_ And then, much to my surprise, he started burrowing into the ground and disappeared.

**CLOCK OVER!**

"Kabuto… Did you detect the Worm?" I asked as I returned to normal time.

"I can't detect him now! He's gone!" Kabuto said before detaching from my belt, returning to civilian form.

I looked around to double check and… much to my surprise, he _was_ gone… Though unfortunately, the pain in my leg was not. "Ugh… I really hope this is only temporary."

* * *

><p><em>As the battle continued on between the 12th Battalion and the Beast's raiders, the Beast and Koji were locked in a one-on-one fight, his men keeping any other soldiers from coming to Koji's aid. The two continued to fire at another, popping up from cover behind the debris of the Beast's tanks.<em>

_"I'm finally gonna kill you, roach! It's time to make you pay for trying to take my head off!"_

_"Che, you _always_ say that." Koji scoffed. "And you failed every time!" Just then, Koji fired off a burst from his M–16 that hit the Beast right in the shoulder and arm with three bullets. "I, on the other hand, actually know how to aim!"_

_"GRAAAAAH," The Beast roared in pain. "YOU BASTARD, LOOK WHAT YOU DID!"_

_"Heh… I know. I'm rather proud of myself." Koji smirked._

_"THAT'S IT!" The Beast shouted before he pulled from out of nowhere… 2 RPG–7's that were twice the size of a standard one! "YOU'RE DEAD!"_

_Koji suddenly went wide–eyed, "Me and my big mouth." Immediately, he broke cover and ran towards the Rubinelle forces._

_The Beast roared, "DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!" before launching the two RPG's. Koji, went for a swan-dive into a huge pit, ironically enough, the one the Tarantula Worm came out of, just in time to avoid being blown to bits. Instead, the Beast wound up blowing up several of his own men, "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEARGH!" The Beast's men wailed in pain._

_As the smoke cleared, Koji slowly poked his head out of the hole and breathed a sigh of relief. "Man that was too close."_

_This only made the Beast even angrier, seeing the condition his men were left in due to his carelessness._

_"Boss, we gotta pull back!" One of his men said. "The Rubinelle's are starting to surround us!"_

_"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr…!" The Beast growled. "Pull back roaches! We're heading back to base!"_

_At their boss's command, the soldiers began to go into full retreat._

_"Phew… That's a relief," Koji said as he climbed out of the hole, walking back to his side's forces as they celebrated their victory._

* * *

><p>"Gaaaaaaaah, darn you stupid poison!" I writhed in pain as I kept moving around in my makeshift bed holding my leg tight. I'm in sick bay and this poison's really getting annoying!<p>

"Just hang in there, buddy," Koji said, sitting by my side, "Rika should be back soon. Good news is the nurse said the poison is starting to pass through your body. Hopefully, though, Rika can filter it all out quickly."

"Well she better get back quick…!" I winced, closing one eye while clenching my teeth tight.

"I'm here!" Rika shouted as she rushed inside. "Guys, you're not gonna believe this! Stauffenburg and I found the ZECTer!"

"Kabuto," Shouted a wasp–looking ZECTer as he flew in to the room and went over to Kabuto.

"TheBee, is that you?!" Kabuto asked surprised and delighted.

"Yeah, it's me!" TheBee replied, happily, as he flew around. "It's good to see you, buddy! But you better watch out… that stuff shirt Stauffenburg is here somewhere."

"Yeah, I know." Kabuto said before flying over to me. "Anyways, I want ya to meet my partner: Kurogasa!"

"Oooo, you found a partner already? Cool!" Not realizing the problem with my leg, TheBee landed on my bad leg and said, "Hey there, Kurogasa! The name's TheBee, how ya doin'!?"

"I want this poison out of me~." I groaned in pain.

TheBee asked confused, "Poison?"

"Oh no, TheBee, get off his leg!" Rika shouted as she rushed over, filling a hypodermic needle with some sort of fluid I assumed was something to counteract the poison.

"What happened to _him_?" TheBee asked Kabuto.

"Oh, yeah… This Worm we were fighting hit him with these poison barbs. They originally numbed his leg, but then it started to get enflamed and went into temporary paralysis." Kabuto explained.

"Yeouch…" TheBee winced.

Rika then put some rubbing alcohol on my leg and said, "Okay, Kurogasa, this'll sting, but it'll counteract the poison."

"Just get the poison out of me…" I sighed in pain.

"You don't have to be such a big baby about it." Rika deadpanned before sticking the needle in my leg.

I winced as I felt the injection, biting my lower lip to keep myself from groaning out loud.

"Ouch… are you alright, bro?" Koji asked with a grunt of sympathy pain.

After Rika injected the antidote, I winced in pain as he got the needle out of me. "I'll live… somehow…"

Rika rolled her eyes and said, "You're a wimp…"

TheBee then flew over to the middle of the room and said, "Alright, well, I need to find my partner. I know he's here somewhere."

"You haven't found a partner yet?" Kabuto asked.

"Yes and no." TheBee said, setting down on a table of medical supplies. "I tracked my partner to this base. I just don't know for sure who it is."

"There you guys are." Lin's voice said as we all turned to see her and Brenner entering the sick bay tent.

"How you feeling, Kid?" Brenner asked me as he took a seat.

"I'm okay now. Rika just injected an antidote on my leg." I sighed as I lied down on my bed. "Now my leg feels numb."

"Hopefully you'll be back on your feet, soon." Lin said, "Since that Worm is still out there."

Just then, TheBee flew over to Brenner and started observing him closely. "Hmm…?" Brenner said. "Hey, aren't you–"

"My name's TheBee!" The ZECTer replied as he landed on Brenner's shoulder. "What's your name?"

"I'm… Captain Brenner, commander of the 12th Battalion of the Rubinelle Army." Brenner blinked.

TheBee then flew very close to Brenner's head, getting close up in his face and then nodded. "Yep, it's you! You're the one I've been looking for! So hello… aibou,"

Brenner stared at TheBee blankly before saying, "Huh?"

Stauffenburg then came rushing into sick bay and said, panting, "There you… are, TheBee… hou can't… keep running off… like that… phew!"

TheBee turned around and groaned, "Aw mou~ leave me alone already!" He flew around Brenner's head as he said, "Besides, I've found my new partner!"

"What?" Stauffenburg gasped. "You mean–"

"Can someone tell me what's going on here?" Brenner asked.

"You're gonna be a Kamen Rider like me Captain." I said.

Everyone looked to Brenner and me in disbelief as the captain said, "I–I'm gonna be… a Kamen Rider?"

"Tha~t's right Cappy! Kamen Rider TheBee to be exact!" TheBee chirped. "Ha, ha, get it?!" He laughed at his joke making all of us sweat drop.

Kabuto shook his body from side to side indicating that he was shaking his head before whispering to Koji, Rika, and I, "Sorry… TheBee tells not so great jokes. You get used to it after a while."

TheBee looked over to Kabuto and asked, "You say something, buddy?"

"Nope, didn't say anything!" Kabuto said quickly.

Real smooth Kabuto, re~al smooth…

* * *

><p><em>That night, as the people of Freehaven went about their business, a familiar soldier was lurking the streets. It was the one from the Beast's forces who was actually the Tarantula Worm. "Heh, heh… Perfect. That human army is gone… which means, that my brethren now can acquire their hosts." He then threw a glow stick down a hole he climbed out of. A few seconds later, a swarm of Salis Worms came crawling out.<em>

_"It's time to feast my brethren!" The soldier said before changing form into the Tarantula Worm._

_The Salis Worms all began to screech as they then ran about, attacking the homes of people, causing the entire town to awaken in fright, as they sought to acquire hosts._

* * *

><p>"…Look, TheBee," Brenner said, hesitantly, "I don't know if I can be your partner. I mean, I have a whole battalion of men and women to lead."<p>

"That's just it!" TheBee perked. "The kind of partner I'm looking for is someone who's good at leading people! You can still do that, you're just gonna be in a super soldier bug armor!"

Brenner looked really unsure of himself than I had ever seen him since joining up with the 12th Battalion. "I, um–"

However, suddenly, a private with a radio came rushing in. "Captain!" After stopping to salute, he said, "Sir, Freehaven is under attack! The Worm from before is attacking the village with several Salis Worms!"

"What?" Brenner asked shocked.

"Uh–oh, that's not good!" TheBee cringed.

"And Kurogasa is still out of commission for the time being." Brenner said to himself, thinking of what he should do next.

Koji sighed for a moment before saying, "Captain, permission to speak freely?"

"Granted,"

"Sir… I think you should join up with TheBee," Koji stated. "You're our commanding officer and we look to you for leadership and guidance, but you've trained us all well enough that we can handle things. And I know you'd make just as good a Kamen Rider as Kurogasa."

"Are you sure?" Brenner asked.

"I'm positive." Koji nodded firmly. "Rika will take care of Kurogasa while we take out those Worms."

Lin nodded in agreement. "I can handle leading the Wolves in battle, sir, as we clear out those Salis Worms so you can focus on the Tarantula Worm."

Brenner thought about this for a while longer until I said, "You can do it Captain. We believe in ya."

Kabuto then piped in with, "Yeah! You can do it, Cap! You and TheBee will be a great team!"

Brenner looked a bit stunned at us as his supporters for a while before chuckling saying, "Alright, you win. Let's exterminate those Worms!"

"Yippee!" TheBee shouted happily as he flew around Brenner's head three times. "We'll be _great_ together, aibou!"

"Then you're gonna need this." Stauffenburg said as he took a device similar to a wristwatch out of his pocket.

"What is it?" Brenner asked as Stauffenburg threw the said device to him and Brenner caught it.

"It's the Rider Brace. You're gonna need that in order to transform." Stauffenburg said. "Just put it on your wrist and then when TheBee latches on, you'll transform."

Brenner nodded as he latched the device onto his left wrist. "Okay then." Looking to Lin and Koji, he then said, "Alright, Lieutenant, Staff Sergeant, let's move out!"

"Yes sir!" They nodded.

* * *

><p><em>Koji and Lin had the Wolves load up the Humvees as quick as they could and rushed back to Freehaven. While they lost no tanks in their battle with the Beast, they did, unfortunately, take some damage that would keep them out of commission in the battle to come. Koji drove the lead Humvee with Lin and Brenner. When they arrived at Freehaven, they found the citizens were rounded up by Salis Worms and the Tarantula Worm whom was busy trying to decide which humans would become hosts for the Salis Worms.<em>

"Hmmm… which of you humans would make the best hosts for my brethren…?"_ The Tarantula Worm mocked menacingly, his human face appearing beside him as he paced back and forth in front of the terrified humans._

_"Let's get the jump on them Captain!" Koji urged._

_"Right," Brenner shouted as Koji brought the Humvee to a stop, signaling the rest of them to stop as the soldiers began hopping out of the Humvees. Brenner stepped to the front of his men and pointed at the Tarantula Worm. "I'm only going to give you one chance, ugly: Surrender and withdraw from Freehaven, or my men and I will destroy you and your little friends."_

"Huh?"_ The Tarantula Worm said, turning to him. _"Who are you?"

_The name's Brenner, Captain Alex Brenner, commanding officer of the 12th Rubinelle Infantry Battalion. And these are my Wolves," Brenner replied with a smirk, nodding his head over his shoulder. However, he then jabbed his thumb at himself. "But you can just call me your worst nightmare. Are you ready, TheBee!?"_

_"I'm ready!" TheBee said before flying around his hand and attached to the Rider Brace slanted. _

_Showing the brace, Brenner slanted TheBee so that he was lined with the brace and shouted, "Henshin!"_

**HENSHIN!**

_Yellow hexagons of energy came out from the Rider Brace and enveloped him until he completely donned in his armor._

_It follows the black bodysuit custom. The torso armor is just as blocky like Kabuto's, but the center is decorated with several black hexagons much like a honeycomb. His shoulder armor is silver and sticks outward over his shoulders like insect wings, but the rest of his shoulder is yellow and rounded with vents on the sides. Both shoulders sport black disks, the left one decorated with a bee symbol. His arms are covered with more segmented steel, looking more like a hindrance than a held. Mounted on his left wrist his ZECTer, looking like a bee ready to fly up and sting someone. His helmet is like the others, silver steel but his faceplate is dominated by a black visor shaped like several hexagons put together with a pair of horns or antennae rising up from the top._

_The Tarantula Worm gasped in disbelief. _"Impossible! There're _two_ of them now!"

_"You got that right!" Koji smirked._

_"Wolves, open fire on those Worms," Brenner ordered._

_Immediately, the soldiers began firing on the Salis Worms as they turned their attention towards the army as the Tarantula Worm and Brenner, or now, Kamen Rider TheBee, charged towards each other. The Tarantula Worm gave a slash with the claws on its hand, but Brenner blocked them with his left arm and then punched the Worm square in the chest, knocking it backwards. "Whoa, the power I'm feeling is incredible!"_

_The Worm growled over the sound of gunfire and the screeching of the Salis Worms. _"Peh, not bad for a start, but you'll soon go down, just like the other one!" _And digging incredibly fast, he suddenly had dug underground._

_"Not good…" Brenner grimaced. As he kept looking around the ground, trying to see if he could see where Tarantula was going to come up, he asked TheBee, "I don't suppose I have a special weapon like Kurogasa does as Kabuto?"_

_"Unfortunately, no…" TheBee said a bit sad._

_"Of course," Brenner sighed as he continued to look around, until– "GAHHHH!"_

_The Worm attacked from right below him, sending him flying up into the air._

_A moment later, he fell back on the ground. "Are you okay?" TheBee asked worriedly._

_"Ugh… Yeah… just gaining a new understanding for how a soccer ball feels after being kicked around." Brenner replied._

_"Looks like you're gonna have to cast off the armor."_

_"How do I do that?" Brenner asked as he defended himself from the Tarantula Worm's assault as it viciously pummeled at the new Rider._

_"Flip my wings over me so that I see them facing me and then turn me around while shouting Cast Off!"_

_"Um, alright," Brenner said as he finally managed to knee the Worm, forcing it back as he finally got enough room and time to do as TheBee told him. Flipping the wings over, the gears on Brenner's outer armor began turning, loosening up the pieces. "Cast Off!" He then shouted as he turned TheBee around._

**CAST OFF!**

_The pieces then shot off, hitting the Salis Worms in numerous explosions of green flames. Meanwhile, Koji and Lin looked to see Brenner in his Rider Form._

**CHANGE: WASP!**

* * *

><p><strong>BGM: Full Force by Ricky feat. RIDER CHIPS<strong>

_In Rider form, TheBee was smaller, having discarded the bulky outer armor. The torso armor looked much like a bee's abdomen and the shoulder plates looked like white insect wings. His arms and legs sported thin armor, but nowhere near the grade of protection the previous suit hand. On his left wrist, his ZECTer had extended its stinger, looking like a wrist–mounted harpoon. His helmet was striped yellow and black, the yellow pieces resembling the face of a hornet or wasp with a large pair of black eyes. From the forehead rose, a pair of antennae and in the center of the forehead was three red stones in a triangle position._

_"Heh heh… Not bad," Brenner thought as he looked himself over once or twice, causing the Tarantula Worm to sneer._

_"Nice new threads, Captain!" Koji shouted before firing again at a Salis Worm he and three other soldiers were battling._

"Grrrr…"_ The Tarantula Worm growled, his ghost image of his human form appearing, _"It'll take more just than just looks to beat me!"_ When his human image disappeared, he went into Clock Up mode._

_"Dang…" Brenner grunted as he watched the Worm suddenly accelerate. "TheBee, how do I do the Clock Up thing?"_

_"There should be a Clock Up pad on the sides of your belt!"_

_Brenner looked down and saw the pad and quickly hit it._

**CLOCK UP!**

_The rest of the world slowed down as Brenner accelerated to faster–than–light speed. And just in time for him, because he then had just enough time to dodge the attack from the Tarantula Worm who flew over Brenner as he dropped to the ground._

_"Nice job, now let's beat him!" TheBee cheered._

_"Right," Brenner shouted as he charged towards the Worm._

"Not this time, human!"_ Tarantula Worm shouted as he spat the same poisonous barbs at Brenner that he had Kurogasa._

_"That's my line." Brenner said before he easily dodged the barbs._

_"Haha, nice job, buddy!" TheBee shouted excitedly as Brenner charged towards the Worm as he continued to spit the barbs at him._

_The Tarantula yelled, _"Bakana, Bakana, Bakana, how can you do this?!"

_"That's easy." Brenner smirked behind his mask. "I'm too fast for you." When he closed in, Brenner then stabbed the stinger of TheBee into the Worm, making sparks fly off its chest as it went flying backwards._

**CLOCK OVER!**

_The whole world returned to normal and the Tarantula Worm was lying on the ground. "Alright, it's time for the finisher!" TheBee said._

_"I agree," Brenner said with a nod. Lifting his left arm slightly to speak directly to his ZECTer, he said, "Alright, TheBee, let's set up for that Rider Kick technique Kurogasa uses."_

_"Sorry, but mine's different." TheBee said._

_"Oh?" Brenner replied a little surprised. "What do we do, then?"_

_"Remember when you punched him with my stinger poking him?" TheBee asked which Brenner nodded at. "That's the finishing move. We just need to power it up more. There's a button just above my abdomen. Press it to perform Rider Sting."_

_"Alright, you got it." Brenner said, before finding the said button and Brenner said before pressing it, "Rider Sting!"_

**RIDER STING!**

_Green electricity began flowing up Brenner's left arm as he pulled it back for a punch. "It's time to squash this bug! AIIIl–YAHHHH," Brenner shouted as he ran towards the Worm._

"No! No! NOOOO,"_ The Tarantula Worm shouted as he tried to escape by digging, but it was too late._

_Brenner dived down the hole the Worm dug and stabbed TheBee's stinger into him, driving him underground before popping up from underneath with the Tarantula Worm on his stinger._

_And then…_

_*BOOOOOOOOOOOM!*_

_The Worm exploded in green flames as Brenner turned away, retracting TheBee's stinger. "And that's that…"_

**End BGM**

* * *

><p><em>"Whoa…" Koji said in awe.<em>

_Lin, too, stopped fighting, leaving the last two or three Salis Worms to be destroyed by the rest of their soldiers. "Incredible… The captain really was meant to be partnered with that ZECTer…"_

_"Yeah, no kidding," Koji said before Brenner turned TheBee around and flipped his wings back. TheBee then detached from the brace and the armor glowed and broke into energy hexagons, being absorbed into the bracer._

_Both Lin and Koji saluted Brenner, Brenner returning the salutes. "Nice work out there, Boss. It looks like you really were born to be one of these Kamen Riders." Koji said._

_"Thanks, Staff Sergeant." Brenner said._

_"So whaddya think?" TheBee asked, flying in front of Brenner's face. "Is being a Kamen Rider awesome or awesome?"_

_Brenner chuckled as he replied, "Definitely the latter, my little friend."_

_"Yippee!" TheBee cheered, flying around Brenner's head._

* * *

><p>"Alright, Kurogasa, how does the leg feel now?" Rika asked as she came to check on me again.<p>

"It feels better." I said. "I'm starting to get feeling back in my leg."

She smiled at me as she checked a few things off on her clipboard. "Good."

Just then, Koji, Lin, and Brenner came back into the room. "Guess who is back with a victory under their belt!?"

"Oh you're back!" Rika noticed.

"Yep," TheBee shouted happily as he flew off Brenner's head and over to Rika. "And Alex and I kicked that Worm's butt!"

"You did?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, you should've seen it man!" Koji said excited. "It was so far outta sight!"

I looked to Koji in surprise as Lin and Brenner looked to him confused. "Koji… did you just speak… disco?"

"Huh?" Koji blinked before he realized what he said, "Oh uh…" he said embarrassed, laughing nervously while rubbing the back of his neck.

Lin and Brenner looked to one another before going back to Koji, "Disco?" Lin asked.

"Like, the music from the 1970's?" Brenner then added for clarification.

"Uh–huh," I nodded. "He was quite the ladies' man back when the world was all green and full of life.

"And he was always dressed in that style back then: bellbottoms, platform shoes, newsboy caps or fedora and this gold male sign medallion," Rika said with a smirk. "He's always dancing up to the girls, showing off his moves for them."

"O–Oi, you two…" Koji sweat dropped.

"Is that right?" Brenner smirked.

"Oh, I'm gonna have a field day making jokes about you." Lin smirked too.

"Aw man, not you guys too!" Koji whined before all of us laughed.

* * *

><p><strong>Fenikkusumaru:<strong> There you have it guys! Our newest Kamen Rider is none other than Captain Brenner as Kamen Rider TheBee!

**Serpentdragon:** And he has a first name now! XD

**Fen:** Yep. Alexander Brenner.

**SD:** Yeah, we realized they never gave him a first name in the game, so we made one up!

**Fen: **Are we gonna give names for the other cannon characters too?

**SD:** It would make sense. Lin lacks a first name and Will has no last name.

**Fen:** True, true. Well, we'll think of something for them eventually.

**SD:** Right. Anyway, that covers it for this chapter of Kabuto, but I wanna take a moment to let you guys know that on my page, there are three other Kamen Rider stories Fen and I working on: "Kamen Rider W: Ace Attorney/Detective," a crossover of W and Phoenix Wright, as well as two original stories: "Kamen Rider Funk & Soul" and "Kamen Rider Access."

**Fen:** Yeah, go ahead and read them if you get the chance.

**SD:** Well, that about covers it. So, until next time, guys!

**Fen:** Review, and have a good day!


	4. Chapter 4: Moving On

**Fen:** Hey there everyone! Fenikkusumaru and Serpentdragon here to give you the latest chapter of Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin!

**SD:** What's up, gang!? Things start to heat up in this chapter as the Wolves make their move to clear the Beast and his men out of Freehaven. And we have our first fight with Kamen Rider Kabuto and Kamen Rider TheBee fighting together!

**Fen:** That's right man! And wait 'til you see who else makes a surprise appearance!

**SD:** Mhmm! So let's get this party started! *Puts on Rider Belt and grabs Gatack*

**Fen:** Let's go! *Puts on Rider Belt and grabs Kabuto*

**Both:** HENSHIN!

**HENSHIN!**

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

><p>It's been a couple of days since the raiders and Worms attacked Freehaven. With me as Kabuto and Captain Brenner as TheBee, we'll be clearing out those raiders and Worms in no time. Of course, that being said, the mayor of Freehaven is <em>still<em> giving us a hard time about everything. And it's been putting us all on edge. In particular, I noticed Koji was getting really annoyed by the man. I don't blame him. This guy was just impossible. For some reason, I get the feeling the Mayor just wants to save himself and no one else.

"Who does that guy think he is!?" Koji grumbled as he played his guitar. "He expects us to play protector and cleanup crew for him while ridiculing us and just using us for his own benefit. What would he do if we just left? Heh… bet he'd be a lot more appreciative of us if suddenly he didn't have our protection anymore."

"I don't like it either," Brenner sighed, "But that's how he is. Everyone has been scarred by the meteors and it's not their fault that this happened."

"I know, Captain, and I want to help as many people as we can," Koji replied, putting his guitar aside, "But I don't like being used by people, especially not a slime ball like him."

"You should know by now that there could be worse people than him."

"I know…"

"Hey no need to get all depressed!" TheBee chirped happily. "At least we're helping the people right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Koji sighed.

I looked to him as I finished tying up my boots. "Hopefully, if we do enough, get the hint that we're legitimate."

"I hope so too." Brenner said.

"In the meantime, until we hear anything from that Mayor, we'll keep watch over Freehaven." Lin suggested.

"Agreed," Brenner said.

Just then, Rika came into the tent with Kabuto on her shoulder. "Hey guys, look who decided to show up." She said. Rika moved to the side and… the Mayor showed up. Great… what's he want _now_?

The mayor came in and said, trying to sound formal, "Captain Brenner, I'd like to revisit our earlier conversation. I'm not above reconsidering my position on your refugees."

Brenner quirked a suspicious eyebrow, "Is that so?"

"It is," the mayor said with a nod. However, he then said, "However, there is a condition…"

Koji rolled his eyes angrily. "You have a condition. What a surprise…"

"At ease, Staff Sergeant," Brenner said calmly, before saying to the Mayor, "Go on."

"As you've seen, we live in constant danger from those raiders. They may well regroup and attack us again tomorrow. Do you really think it's a good idea to leave your kids in such a situation?"

Will clearly took offense to being referred to as a kid. "Hey, I can look after–!"

The mayor cut him off as if he wasn't there. "We know where the raiders' camp is. They've taken over an old army base east of here. Unfortunately, we don't have the weapons or training to go after them."

I nodded, seeing where this was going as I walked over to Koji and Brenner. "I think I see where this is going."

"I think so too." Brenner said. "So we wipe out the raiders, and you'll agree to take in–"

"Something like; that, yes." The Mayor nodded, interrupting him. "If you agree to my proposal, I'll consider your request."

I quirked a distrusting eyebrow at the man, crossing my arms, saying, "We have your word on that?"

"Of course, I am a man of my word."

"I guess we'll see about that, but I ain't holding my breath," Koji said under his breath.

Brenner then said, "Alright, we'll go and clear them out for your, Mayor. I just hope you remember what we've done for you."

"I will." The Mayor said before leaving.

"I smell something fishy from that guy." Kabuto said flying over to me.

"Yeah, I get the feeling too." I said.

"Want me to do a little recon?" Kabuto asked.

I thought about it a little bit before nodding. "Okay, aibou. Go follow him for a little and see what you can find out."

"You got it aibou!" Kabuto chirped happily before flying off.

"In the meantime, I got some cooking to do."

**(Cue Theme D–Technolife by UVERworld)**

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi yo)** The scenery is a barren wasteland, with a sky that blotted out the sun. The camera pans slowly to the right as Kurogasa, with his back facing the camera, looks at the barren wasteland on top of a cliff.  
><strong>(Kesenai kako mo seoiatteikou ikiru koto o nagedasanai de)<strong> The camera then suddenly changes to a close up of Kurogasa's face before it went around his head, the camera's view being blocked momentarily when it reached the back of his head and when the camera finally circles to the side of his face, it showed Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Kabuto, before panning out showing him in his full armor. Looking up at the sky, a ray of light suddenly burst through the clouds shining on Kabuto before the screen goes white.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] tsunaida kimi no te o)** The title Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin appears on the screen and just before the song enters the next phrase, the ZECTers flew, crawled, and hopped around the title from behind and jumped towards the screen before changing to the next scene.

**(Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana)** Koji sits on the edge of his bed, sadly looking at his guitar on one side, his rifle on the other, as Gatack flew up and lands on his shoulder.  
><strong>(Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara)<strong> Rika was in the medical wing of the base, sighing and wiping sweat off her brow as she tries to organize her medical supplies, Sasword crawling around on a table while Brenner, Lin, Isabella, and Will were discussing plans for their next move.

**(Hibiku~ boku wo yobu koe sae kare)** Kurogasa was cooking and Kabuto watched on his shoulder before Kurogasa noticed something from afar on the horizon.  
><strong>(Toki ni sou kaze ni kakikesaretatte)<strong> Drake and TheBee fly past him as we see what Kurogasa was looking out: a swarm of Salis Worms flanking Dr. Caulder with Admiral Greyfield, Waylon, showing up one end of the battlefield along with Tasha and Gage on another end and they sending out their troops alerting the 12th Platoon.

**(Kimi wo mitsu–ke–da–su)** Kurogasa grabs Kabuto and transforms into Kamen Rider Kabuto, before casting off his armor and charging towards Dr. Caulder.

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi mou)** Dr. Caulder snaps his fingers and Kamen Rider Punch and Kick Hopper appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Kabuto for an attack only for the latter to dodge before going to attack them.  
><strong>(Waraenai nante, hito kirai nante kotoba sou iwanaide)<strong> Koji transforms into Kamen Rider Gatack and leads the Tech Platoon with their heavy weapons attacking some of the Salis Worms as Brenner transforms into Kamen Rider TheBee and he, Lin, and Will attack the rest of the forces.  
><strong>(Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara<strong>) Rika and David "Deadeye" Stevens transforms into Kamen Rider Sasword and Kamen Rider Drake respectively and attack some of the Salis Worms.  
><strong>(Ima wa sono mama de ii, kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou [WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH])<strong> As Kurogasa battles Punch Hopper and Kick Hopper, Caulder surprisingly joins in and transforms into Kamen Rider Caucasus, going to punch Kurogasa, only for the latter to dodge and he and Caluder stared each other down.

**(You and Me, two have spoken.)** The Hyper ZECTer appears from the distortion of time and Kurogasa grabs it to become Hyper Kabuto.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] Itsuka wakariaeru kara)** Kurogasa then grabs the Perfect ZECTer and he and Caucasus leap at each other, their attack causing a huge flash of light. When the light fades, we see Kurogasa, Koji, Rika, Brenner, Will, Lin, Isabella, Tasha, Gage, and Stauffenburg looking out into the sunset, the ZECTers with them as well before the song ends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 4: Moving On<p>

After cooking for the soldiers and some of our civilians and the civilians of Freehaven, which by the way were grateful that they liked my cooking, I went back to training with Lieutenant Lin on hand–to–hand combat training. But as it turns out…

"WHOA! OW!"

I'm _still_ getting my butt kicked by Lin!

Lin smirked as she had me on the ground on my stomach, one foot on my back as she had my right leg in a two arm hold, "Got ya again."

"Man, I thought I had you that time," I groaned.

"You still got a lot to learn." Lin chuckled before she let go of me, allowing me to roll on my back. She extended a hand and I took it before she pulled me back up.

I chuckled as I sheepishly scratched the back of my head. "Yeah, I know. But I am getting better, at least… right?"

"You're getting there." Lin said.

I smiled at that. "That's good to know." Then, blushing slightly, I said, "Hey, Lieutenant… I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to train me like this. It's really helped in my fights with the Worms."

"It's no problem. I'm glad I could help." Lin nodded with a slight smile.

We then decided to take a break, so we sat on the ground, drinking some bottles of water while having a few energy bars for snack. "Say Lin… can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How come you joined the Rubinelle Army?" I asked.

"Why do you ask?"

"O–Oh nothing," I said, blushing a bit. "I–I just thought I'd like to get to know you more."

Lin took another sip of her water as she said, "I see… I have to admit I'm not used to talking about my past much, but… I suppose I could tell you." Chuckling, she said, "My older brother was in the army, actually. I looked up to him a lot as we grew up. He was the one who really encouraged me to go to the academy."

"Your brother huh," I said drinking my water bottle.

She nodded with a smile. "Yeah… He wound up being an attack helicopter pilot, but I wasn't too fond of flying so I decided to go into the infantry."

"I see." I nodded. "So where's your brother now?"

That caused Lin to pause, her smile fading as she sipped her water again. "I don't know… Last I heard, he was stationed at a base in south, but I lost contact with him after the meteor shower." Sighing, she then said, "I hate to say it, but… chances are he's dead."

"Oh…" I said sadly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have–"

Lin waved it off. "It's fine. I've accepted it…" Changing the subject slightly, she said, "What about you? What's your story? I don't know much about you other than you being friends with Staff Sergeant Shinamori and Dr. Ryusaki… that and you're a pretty good chef."

"That's true." I chuckled. "Well, I've lived a pretty decent life. My parents were chefs themselves and the diner I used to own are actually my parents' diner. Before I took over the business, I took cooking classes over at the Rubinelle Culinary Arts Institute after I graduated from high school. It's pretty tough to get in, but my parents were able to get me in and using everything I learned from my parents, I graduated with flying colors."

Lin nodded as she listened to my story. When I finished, she asked, "So them giving you the diner, was that a graduation present?"

"Pretty much," I shrugged.

Lin was quiet for a while before she finally asked, "What happened to your parents?"

I was silent for a bit at that, "To be honest, I'm not sure." I shook my head. "Last I heard from them was that they were going on a trip somewhere to celebrate their wedding anniversary, but… with the world as it is now, I don't know if they're alive."

Looking at me sympathetically, Lin said, "Sounds like we're in the same boat, then."

"I guess…" I sighed. "But… I hope that they _are_ alive."

Staring at me for a while, Lin said, slightly amazed, "…You still have hope?"

"I do." I smiled gently. "I always try to be optimistic as best as I could. Back in the culinary school, I almost lost hope that I'd pass, but I never gave up and my parents kept encouraging me to keep going and trying."

"Heh…" Lin said as her smile started to return. "I wish I had that optimism… Here I am expecting the worst with my brother and you're hoping for the best for your parents."

"Well you know what they say, "Opposite attract"." I said, but then realized what I said and blushed, "No wait, I meant uh…" Crap, I blew it. Nice going Kurogasa.

Lin chuckled as she said, "Relax, Kururugi… I get what you mean." Laughing again, she then said, "Tell you what: you help me look for my brother, I help you look for your parents. Agreed?"

"Uh…" I blinked, before laughing sheepishly with a sweat drop, "Yeah, deal."

Lin smiled as she said, "Good to hear."

* * *

><p><em>"Alright Koji, you can do this…" He said to himself. "Let's see if you still got the groove…"<em>

_After taking a few moments to see he was alone, Koji cued up the music. However, unlike usual, he was not dressed in his army fatigues or listening to blues music. No… Koji was dressed in a blue velvet leisure suit with a white wide collar shirt showing off his chest quite a bit, a white and blue newsboy cap, white platform shoes, and a male sign medallion around his neck. And the music he was listening to: disco._

_When the song "Car Wash" began to play, Koji started to bust out of his old disco dancing moves as he danced about the empty room._

_While that was happening, Rika was walking by until she heard something, "What in the–" she said to herself. Hearing the strange yet slightly familiar music, she poked her head in to see what it was. "No way… he's… disco dancing, again?" Now this was a sight to behold. She couldn't believe that Koji's back into disco dancing and here she thought he's all rock n' roll and singing the blues. But now… there's life in him yet again! Seeing it brought a smile to her face as she said to herself, "It's nice to see old Boogie Shoes Shinamori back on his dancing feet." Truth was, as much as she teased him about it growing up, it was one of the reasons she had secretly crushed on him for years. So to relive teasing him, she decided to fake that she was surprised to see him dancing, well… technically she's already surprised, but… well you get the idea. She opened the door and said, "Oh… my… gosh…"_

_Koji heard Rika and immediately looked in her direction in shock, "Huh!? AHHHH!" Unfortunately, this wound up leading Koji into a world of hurt. In his frightened reaction to being caught, Koji lost his balance as he did one move, causing him to trip. He fell to the floor and landed right on his bottom. "Ugh…"_

_Rika tried her best not to laugh but, she couldn't hold it in longer and laughed as hard as she could, "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

_Koji glared at her as he pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his sore butt. "Yeah, laugh it up, laugh it up…"_

_"I'm sorry, but that was just priceless!" Rika giggled, wiping a tear from her eye. "Wow… I never thought I'd see the day you'd get back into disco dancing."_

_Koji blushed slightly as he turned away, trying to look as indignant as he could. "Nice to see the doctor cares so much… But yes… I admit…" He then got a little more serious as he said, "I started getting back into disco recently… I've just had more reason to hope lately is all…"_

_"Oh?" Rika asked, raising an eyebrow._

_Koji nodded as he took a seat, but winced when he sat down, his butt still sore, so he tried to sit with as little pressure on the one side. "Yeah… ever since you and Kurogasa came back into my life… I don't know… I just felt like things were going to get better…"_

_"I see." Rika said as she sat next to him, smiling. "Well, I'm glad the gang's back together again."_

_"Yeah," Koji smiled at her as he looked at her. "Y'know… you're just as beautiful as I remembered." He then flashed her, a wink as he said, "Or, I guess since you know my love for disco hasn't died, I could say you're just as groovy as I remembered."_

_"K–Koji…" Rika stuttered, blushing a bit._

_He smiled at her and said, with a chuckle, "Well, since you know my secret, I think you should get brought in on it."_

_"Huh?" Rika asked confused. "You want me to… get into disco?"_

_"Yeah, I think you'd make a groovy foxy chick." Koji nodded._

_Rika blushed slightly as she said, "I–I… I don't know… I don't even have a pair of platform shoes."_

_"That's fine. I don't care if you have any platform shoes to begin with. It's the dancing and grooving that counts."_

_The young doctor nervously brushed her hair behind her ear as she thought it over before nodding. "Okay… but you can't tell _anyone_ about me doing this!"_

_Koji stared at her for a moment before laughing. "Rika… I've been trying to keep me alone doing this a secret."_

_"Oh…" Rika said dumbly, before Koji laughed again._

* * *

><p><em>"Alright, Listen up, roaches! We're low on supplies, so it's time to swarm a village!" The Beast said to his men. "Take what ya want! Steal what ya want! Kill who ya want! There's no law but The Beast's law! No prisoners! No mercy!"<em>

_He then gave a deep laugh that many of his men joined him in. "Hey, Boss! How much do we get if we bring you the guy that shot you?"_

_The Beast shouted, "You bring me that roach, I'll give you your pick of whatever we get! First choice!"_

_"YEAH!" His men cheered. However, unbeknownst to them, there was a Salis Worm watching. The Worm growled lowly before it started to molt and into its true form._

_When the Worm finished shedding its Salis form, its true form was a shiny exoskeleton, shining with any one of the seven colors of the rainbow, depending on how one looked at it. It seemed to be based on a scarab beetle, its shell being extremely hard and thick. In terms of offense, it didn't have much other than the claws on its hands, but it was obvious it was a tough nut to crack. Its jewel like eyes darted back and forth as it stared at the Beast's men._

_And after that, it disappeared in a blur._

* * *

><p>After Lin and I had finished our sparring session, we quickly were informed by a corporal that Captain Brenner wanted to see the senior staff to discuss our newest operation, namely going after the raider base.<p>

"You called us Captain?" I asked.

Brenner nodded as TheBee landed on his shoulder. "We're going to make our move against the raider base."

"Yeppity, yep, yep, and we're beat those raiders into next week!" TheBee said happily.

Brenner couldn't help but laugh at his ZECTers enthusiasm. "That's right, little guy!" However, as he looked around, he then said, "Hmm… I don't see Staff Sergeant Shinamori or Dr. Ryusaki."

"I haven't seen them." I shrugged. "I was still with Lieutenant Lin, having a training session."

Just then, Koji, in his camo fatigues, came rushing in with Rika behind him. "Sorry, Captain."

"Where were you?" Brenner frowned.

"Um…" Koji said, seeming slightly worried, "I, uh… was in the infirmary. I was, um… asleep in my bunk, rolled out by accident, and fell. I went to see Dr. Ryusaki to, uh, see that I didn't hurt anything."

"Mmmmm…?" I raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"What?" Koji asked.

"Is that _really_ what happened?" I asked Koji in disbelief.

*BAM!*

"OWWWW," I shouted as I hopped on one foot, holding the one Rika stepped on.

"That's _exactly_ what happened," Rika said flatly before giving me a glare.

"Okay, I get it…!" I winced as I still hopped on my one foot.

"O~kay," Brenner said, wanting to get passed the awkwardness. "Let's all take a seat and discuss our mission."

"Right," I nodded before all of us took a seat. "Okay, what do we got? Was the Mayor legit about the location of the old army base?"

Lin gave a nod as she said, "It's true. Our scout unit just confirmed it. Those raiders are camped at an old army base. That's probably where they scavenged their weapons and vehicles."

"How much are we talking here?" Koji asked.

"A fair amount," Lin said solemnly. "We've taken out a lot of them in our past encounters, but they still have a fairly large amount of troops."

"Are there any Worms in the area?" I asked.

"None we're aware of," Brenner replied, "But it's always a possibility."

"I can check in with Dr. Stauffenburg and see if he came up with anything about the Worms."

"That would be most helpful, thank you." Brenner nodded. "Alright then, here's what we'll do. Half of our forces will stay here and protect Freehaven while the other half will engage the raiders."

"What about you and Kurogasa?" Koji asked. "Now that you're both Riders, where do you think you two should go?"

Brenner and I looked at each other before I said, "If there's a Worm, we'll stop it. I get the feeling that we'll most likely find one at the old army base."

Brenner looked to me for a few moments before nodding. "I agree. Best then both Kamen Riders go with the attack force rather than stay with the defense force."

"I guess that's true." Koji said.

"Okay then, Koji, assemble your team. Lin, I want you to gather half of our army for this mission."

"Yes sir." Lin saluted.

Koji gave a nod as he too saluted. "On it, Boss," He then ran out to gather Tech Platoon together.

* * *

><p>After an hour or so, we gathered the troops we needed and headed out to the said location of the old army base, however, when we got there, we noticed that the dust in the air and the area presented poor visibility to us. And that's not good. Brenner was looking through his binoculars, trying to see anything, but found nothing. Looking to us, he said, "Still no sign of the enemy?"<p>

"No." I shook my head. "This dust in the air is giving us a hard time. I can't even see the roof of the old base from here."

Lin stepped forward and said, "My training was in reconnaissance and intelligence. Leave this to me. All units move out!"

"Wait, wha–" I got out.

"Don't worry. She knows what she's doing." Brenner assured. "In the meantime, we better suit up."

"Uh… right," I said as Kabuto flew out from my backpack. "Shall we, aibou?"

"I'm ready to go!"

"Let's go, TheBee!" Brenner said.

"Yippee! It's about time we bash these bandits!" TheBee cheered as I had my Rider Belt on Brenner attached his Rider Brace on his left wrist. Both ZECTers flew to us and we caught our respective ZECTers in our hands.

"Henshin," Brenner and I shouted.

**HENSHIN!**

The red and yellow hexagons of energy formed over Brenner and I as they formed into our Masked Form armors.

Seeing this, Koji said to himself with a smirk, "Yeah… I gotta get myself one of those ZECTers."

"Alright people, let's move out! Follow Lieutenant Lin's lead!" Brenner commanded.

We all formed up behind Lin and followed her through the area. As we walked, I asked in amazement, "How can you find your way through here?"

"With a lot of training," Lin answered. "You can't just always rely on what you see. You have to use your other senses too."

"I guess so," I said with a nod as I followed behind her. "It's impressive watching you work." Whoa, whoa, wait! What!?

"Excuse me?" Lin asked, looking at me.

"It's nothing!" I squeaked.

"Real smooth aibou," Kabuto chuckled.

"Shut it Kabuto," I hissed.

After that awkward situation and some more walking, we finally made it to the base. "Nice work, Lieutenant," Brenner said.

"Thank you si– Incoming!" Lin shouted.

We all took cover as we suddenly came under fire. "We're being attacked, but I can't see where!" Koji shouted.

Then Will replied excitedly, "Oh! We studied this at the academy! Flares can help reveal enemy positions in poor-visibility conditions."

"In that case…" Brenner said, "Everyone, fire your flare guns in the air!" These flare guns were only to be used in an emergency in case someone needs rescuing, but in this situation, we're gonna need it.

Lin chuckled as she said, "Smart kid. Maybe you'll be some help to us after all. Aim the flare anywhere you think the raiders may be hiding. This unit could be the key to our victory today." Everyone fired their flare guns up into the sky and quickly, silhouettes were found in the dust, revealing the positions of the enemy attackers.

"There they are! Open fire!" Brenner ordered.

All the soldiers turned towards their nearest identified enemy and began open fire, including me with my Kunai Ax Gun. Brenner, lacking a long ranged weapon, grabbed an extra automatic rifle from one of the jeeps. We continued firing and the raiders had no choice but to retreat into the old army base. "They're going inside! Move in! Move in!" Brenner shouted.

While most of our men started to push after the Beast's men and make their way inside, Koji then said, "Sir, this seems a little too easy how fast we pushed them in. This _might_ be a trap."

"SEE–YA SUCKERS!" A familiar voice shouted and… two RPG missiles shot out from a window?!

"GET DOWN!" Lin shouted as the RPGs came, flying towards us.

"I might as well Clock up!" I said before I flipped Kabuto's horn slightly and the armor slightly came out as steam and electricity rushed out, "Cast off!" I shouted before flipping Kabuto's horn completely.

**CAST OFF!**

My Masked Form exploded off of me.

**CHANGE: BEETLE!**

I then immediately hit my Clock Up pad, "Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

As time slowed down around me, I saw the RPGs as they came, flying towards us. Leaping into the air, I turned the RPGs around and aimed them back at the base. "That's one down, not to hit the other!" I said before seeing it and turning it around back towards the old base.

**CLOCK OVER!**

As I landed on the ground, the RPGs collided with the base in two large explosions, sending bits of debris flying about.

"Nice shot, bro!" Koji shouted, giving me a, quick thumbs up before he began firing again.

"I do what I can." I grinned under my mask.

"Alright, let's keep moving in!" Lin ordered.

We all followed in behind her, the sound of gunfire growing louder as we met up with our soldiers who had already made it inside and were continuing to engage the Beast's men.

"Shinamori, you and I take the left of the base! Lin, you and Kururugi take the right!" Brenner said.

The three of us nodded as we started to splinter to go after our respective sides. However, as he gave his commands, Brenner was hit by a quick burst of machine gun fire, "Tch!" He shouted before shooting back. "Better lose the extra weight." He then grabbed TheBee as steam and electricity came out of his armor. "Cast Off!" He shouted as he turned TheBee around.

**CAST OFF!**

The extra armor of his Masked Form went flying, slamming into a few bad guys as Brenner entered Rider Form.

**CHANGE: WASP!**

"Clock Up!" He shouted before pressing the Clock Up pad on the side.

**CLOCK UP!**

Time slowed down all around Captain Brenner, seeing the bullets seemingly freeze in mid-air. Quickly surveying the area, he got an idea. "TheBee, what do you suppose would happen if I were to deliver my Rider Sting to that coolant tank over there?"

"You gotta be quick about it!" TheBee said.

"Right," He then tapped TheBee, extending his ZECTer's stinger as he said, "Rider Sting!"

**RIDER STING!**

Green electricity traveled from TheBee to over his arm and to his helmet before the electricity went in reverse and Brenner "stung" the coolant tank with green electricity. He then hopped back away from it, moving to take cover.

**CLOCK OVER!**

When reality returned to normal speed, the coolant tank immediately exploded, shooting out the freezing cold liquid all over a squad of the Beast's men. "GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH," Some of the Beast's men wailed in pain, as the stinging sensation of the cooling liquid coated all over the Beast's men.

"Ouch!" Koji winced as he saw the enemy soldiers become coated. "That's gotta hurt!"

"There you are!" The Beast shouted and Koji turned around, seeing the Beast equipped with a lot of guns. "This time, I'm putting you out of your misery for good, Roach!"

Rolling his eyes, Koji replied, "What? You decided you'd have a better shot with multiple guns given how bad your aim is?"

The Beast growled angrily as he said, "Let's see you dodge all these!"

With that, he took off two machine guns from his back, one in each hand and started going trigger happy.

*RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!*

Koji dived to the side, rolling behind a support beam for the base and then tried to return fire as best he could without getting hit.

"Man this guy just won't quit!" Koji gritted.

Knowing he was pinned down and the rest of the men and him with Brenner were preoccupied with the enemy forces there he began looking for a way out of this mess on his own. And then he found it. "That'll do." Quickly, he shot at the lights in the immediate area, putting them out so that the Beast couldn't see him.

"Gah, you coward!" The Beast roared. "Come out and fight me like a man!"

Koji, however, remained silent and hidden. Always a proponent of the term, "fight smarter, not harder," he quietly crept out from his hiding place to try and gain a better tactical vantage point. He was able to get behind him and slowly raised his M–16, taking aim. Unfortunately, Koji took a step that was _just_ the tiniest bit too loud. "Ha! Found you, roach!" The Beast shouted as he turned around, opening fire on the young soldier.

Koji managed to roll out of the way, but he was nicked with a bullet grazing his arm.

"GAH!" Koji grunted as he unintentionally dropped his rifle, holding his as warm, fresh blood started to leak out of the wound.

"KOJI!" Brenner cried out.

As the Beast prepared to open fire, Brenner rushed over and slammed his right fist into the Beast's face, sending him flying and knocking out several of his teeth.

"GRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" The Beast roared. He was truly a beast when he yelled out.

Brenner then ran over to Koji, "You alright Shinamori?"

"I've been through worse, sir." Koji gritted.

Brenner checked Koji's arm as he said, "You're lucky. It doesn't look like the wound is that bad, but we still need to get you to a medic. Head back to the others. I'll cover you, Sarge."

"But–"

"That's an order." Brenner said, before running off to deal with the Beast.

* * *

><p>As Lin and I continued to make our way through the base with our men, we too were having some trouble of our own. These men were fewer in number than the ones Koji and Brenner were dealing with, but these ones were more heavily armed, several of them carrying massive mini–gun assault cannons, unleashing storms of bullets at us.<p>

"Man, we can't get near them!" I gritted as I fired back with my Kunai Gun.

Lin looked to me and said, "Think you can Clock Up and clear us a path?"

"I'll try." I said before adding, "Clock Up!" and patted the Clock Up pad.

**CLOCK UP!**

Time slowed down around me as normal, but even I was amazed by how much of a wall the bullets created. Looking around, I said, "Alright, Kabuto, got any ideas?"

"We gotta speed past these bullets and then we can break these mini–guns!" Kabuto said.

"Yosh," I shouted as I switched the Kunai Gun into Ax Mode. Moving past the bullets as best I could, I finally made it to a group of the Beast's mercenaries. Quickly, I then cut up their mini–guns, cutting the number of men with them down by half as my Clock Up ran out.

**CLOCK OVER!**

As soon as the world went back to normal, the mini–guns exploded sending the ones using it, flying and hitting the walls.

"Heh, Yosha!" I shouted proudly.

Lin breathed a sigh of relief as the storm of bullets was cut in half, giving her and the soldiers the chance to advance somewhat! "C'mon! Kabuto gave us an opening! Let's take it!"

"Yes ma'am!" The soldiers said before they started opening fire on the Beast's men. But all of a sudden, a blur knocked them out, surprising me and Lin.

"Aibou, we got a Worm!" Kabuto shouted.

"Got it," I said before shouting, "Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

Entering my Clock Up mode, I got my first look at the Worm, which appeared to be a shiny scarab beetle looking one. "Heh… Compared to the other ones, this one actually looks not so creepy."

To be more descriptive, it had a shiny exoskeleton, shining with any one of the seven colors of the rainbow, depending on how one looked at it. It seemed to be based on a scarab beetle, its shell being extremely hard and thick. In terms of offense, it didn't have much other than the claws on its hands, but it was obvious it was a tough nut to crack and it has jewel like eyes.

"Alright, ugly, if you're the nut, then I'm the nutcracker!" Switching my gun into Kunai Mode, I charged at the Worm and leapt at it with a powerful slash. However, the attack barely even glanced, its thick armor.

"What in the–"

It let out a clicking noise before it slashed me hard with its claws.

Sparks flew from my chest as I got knocked back by the attack, rolling across the floor. "Dang… that thing is like a rock!"

"Then we gotta go with the axe!" Kabuto said.

"Right," I said, flipping it over to hold the Kunai Gun by the barrel and now had it in axe mode. Hopping back to my feet, I rushed at the Worm again, repeatedly slashing at it with my axe, but still, the attacks barely nicked the thing. "Geez, this guy's tough!" I gritted. "Man, how are we gonna beat this guy?"

Kabuto then piped in with, "Let's get the captain over here! Two Riders might be better than one in this case!"

"Right," I said before turning to the Scarab Worm before saying cheekily, "Try and keep up!" I said before running out of there. It wasn't surprising seeing as the Scarab Worm followed me.

* * *

><p><em>Seeing that Kurogasa and the Worm Clocked Up and out of the battle, Lin said, "Alright, we're safe for now. Let's move in!" She said, but then–<em>

_"Freeze, don't move!" A voice shouted._

_Naturally, Lin and the soldiers of the 12th Battalion did the exact opposite, turning towards the voice. It turned out to be coming from one of a group of soldiers dressed in all black with an insectoid helmet and some sort of gun or blaster weapon on their right forearms. "I don't think so! This is the Rubinelle Army's 12th Infantry Battalion! _You_ stand down!"_

_"I'm afraid, you have no say in the matter," Another voice said before a can of sleeping gas rolled to the ground._

_Before Lin and her men could do anything, they passed out from exposure to the gas. One of the strangely dressed soldiers approached the one in charge and asked, "What should we do with them, Sir?"_

_"Gather them up." He said. "Take them back to the base in New Wolfington. We'll debrief them along with their battalion and those who possess the ZECTers."_

_The trooper who asked the question nodded as they started to pick up the unconscious Rubinelle soldiers._

* * *

><p>I rushed through the base, managing to keep ahead of the Worm fairly easily. While both of us were traveling faster than the speed of light, I was faster than it due to its heavy body. As I ran along, I soon saw amidst all the fighting, Brenner in battle with the Beast, "Captain! We got a Worm!"<p>

"What?" Brenner gasped.

"Yeah, and this one's a heavy hitter!" I added.

Brenner looked to me and saw the Worm coming after me as it and I came out of Clock Up mode. Of course, that momentary lapse of his concentration allowed the Beast to hit him with a few blasts. "Insects like you need to be exterminated!" The Beast shouted, as he kept on firing.

"Ugh…" Brenner grunted before he finally rushed over to the Beast and then knocked him out with a roundhouse kick. He then joined me and said, "Alright, this Worm. What we dealing with?"

"It's a Scarab Worm. Its shell is pretty tough. I can't even hack it with my Kunai Gun in axe mode."

Brenner nodded as he watched the Worm approach them, clicking its jaws. "Alright… Then maybe the two of us can give him a beatdown."

"Yeah, let's do this!" I said before the two of us, patted our Clock Up pads.

**CLOCK UP!**

The Worm too went into Clock Up mode and got into a defensive stance as we charged at it. Captain Brenner and I then started giving the Scarab Worm punches and kicks, but as always, that tough skin proved to be useful to it and it didn't even bother it. Just then, the Scarab Worm's eyes flashed brightly and fired at both of us a powerful energy beam, "AHHHH!" We shouted as the blast hit us and sent us flying, with sparks erupting from our armors.

"Oi aibou, you okay?!" Kabuto asked frantically.

"Ow…" I groaned. "Okay, that one we didn't expect…"

While we got to our feet, the Scarab Worm pulled its limbs into its body and started to roll towards us like a bowling ball.

"Look out!" Brenner shouted and both of us rolled out of the way.

When we got back to our feet after dodging the attack, Brenner then said, "Kurogasa, I think I have an idea."

"Oh you do? What's the plan?" I asked.

Brenner looked at the Worm and pointed to it as he said, "We've been attacking all different points on its body… Maybe we should focus on just one spot and try to soften that up."

"That's good and all, but where should we hit?" I asked.

Before Brenner could reply, the Worm caught us off guard and successfully nailed us both with its bowling ball style rolling attack, "GAH!" Brenner and I shouted as we tumbled and rolled on the ground.

We came to a stop as we hit the wall behind us, grunting in pain. "Ugh… Man, I now have sympathy for all those bowling pins I knocked down when I played the game," I said as I tried to push myself up to my feet.

"No kidding," Brenner said, getting to his feet too. "Let's try aiming for its chest. Maybe we can soften that part up."

"Good plan, Captain," I said with a nod. "Alright…" Getting back to our feet, I pointed at it with my Kunai Gun, turning it to Gun Mode. "Let's crack that shell!" With that I aimed and shot at the Scarab Worm's chest, making sparks fly off of it, but that didn't bother it much. It continued to charge at us, but I kept shooting at it until finally, when it got close enough, Brenner leapt in front of me and slammed his fist into the spot I shot it. The Scarab Worm skid back a couple feet before moving towards us. It's starting to work somewhat.

Looking at it, I could see the spot we were focusing on was showing more damage than the other spots, "Captain! It's working!"

Brenner smiled under his helmet. "Oorah, that's how you do it! Let's keep up the pressure, Kurogasa!"

"Right," I said before switching my Kunai Gun to dagger mode. "Let's see how it likes this!" I charged in and slashed its chest with my kunai like dagger. This time, my attacks did visibly more damage as the Worm started making a pained clicking noise before it slashed me, knocking me to the side. However, the flailing made it clear it was a lucky shot.

"It's working!" Brenner said.

"Good, then I can finish it off!" I said before I kicked it on the chest again, making it stumble back a few feet before I turned around with my back towards the Scarab Worm.

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

I then pulled the horn up after pushing the buttons as electricity built up around Kabuto while Brenner pushed the button on TheBee to charge up his attack.

Brenner and I shouted, "Rider Kick/Sting!"

**RIDER KICK/STING!**

Electricity formed around my right leg and Brenner's left arm. When the Scarab Worm charged at us for its final time, I struck first, slamming my Rider Kick into the cracked spot, electricity engulfing it as more cracks appeared on the shell. When my kick connected, I then spun out of the way as Brenner rushed into with his Rider Sting, punching in the spot.

The Scarab Worm staggered as blue and green electricity crackled on its chest and spread all over its body until–

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

Brenner dusted off his hands as I leaned forward, resting my hands on my knees as I sighed with relief. "Phew… Finally we finished that freak."

"Yeah, we sure did." I panted as Kabuto and TheBee detached from the buckle and brace and Brenner and I went back to civilian form.

"Looks like things have calmed down." Kabuto said.

"Did we win?" TheBee asked.

"I hope so." Brenner said.

"Freeze, hands in the air," A voice shouted.

What the–

Turning, we saw several soldiers dressed in black combat armor with bug head helmets and some sort of gun or blaster on their right arms. Brenner and I put our hands in the air as Brenner said, "I'm Captain Alex Brenner CO of the Rubinelle Army's 12th Infantry Battalion. And I demand you tell us who you are!"

"Uh oh…" TheBee said worriedly.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's ZECT," Kabuto said worriedly too.

Brenner and I looked to each other in shock, "ZECT!?" The both of us shouted. These guys were the ones who built the ZECTers!? At that point, a can rolled over to our feet and smoke come out. The next thing that happened was… we were feeling sleepy all of a sudden.

"Crap… Sleeping gas…" Brenner muttered.

"Wha–What…?" I murmured as the gas filled my lungs, knocking me out cold…

* * *

><p><em>"Sir, we have secured the users of the ZECTers." One of the soldiers said.<em>

_"Excellent," An elder voice said as a man in his 60's with combed black and grey hair, wearing glasses and a three piece suit walked over to them, "And what of the ZECTers?"_

_"They are safely secured as well."_

_"Good." And what of the rest of the 12th Battalion stationed in Freehaven?" Riku asked._

_"We have them captured as well. One of their soldiers was wounded in the firefight with mercenary forces, but he escaped for medical attention before we arrived. The rest of them are still under the effects of the sleeping gas as well. What do you want us to do with them?" The soldier asked._

_"We take them back to base in New Wolfington. We will debrief them when we arrive." Riku said._

_"Very well, Sir. Should we pursue the one who was injured?"_

_"No leave him. We have other important matters to attend to."_

_"Very well, we'll be returning shortly, Sir," the soldier said._

_"Get these two out of here." Riku said one of the ZECTroopers, "I want them in our transports." The trooper saluted as he ordered the other soldiers to pick up Kurogasa and Brenner and put them into their transports._

* * *

><p><strong>Fen: <strong>And there it is guys! Another chapter of Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin! Now I know this is rather short, but this is all we got.

**SD:** Yeah… Don't worry, though, things'll get longer as we go along.

**Fen:** Yeah, and… Oh crap! We forgot to add the canon stuff for chapter 4 of Advance Wars: Days of Ruin! Oh well, Will can name the girl while they're detained.

**SD:** Ah, don't worry, dude! We can finish the Chapter 4 stuff next chapter. Just think of this kind of like a two–parter for the chapter! XD

**Fen:** True. Well anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter!

**SD:** Until next time; JA NEE!


	5. Chapter 5: New Allies

**Fen:** Hello everybody! Fen and Serpentdragon to give you the latest chapter in Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin! We apologize for not updating in a while, but RL is getting in the way as of late.

**SD:** Yeah, but on the bright side, we have the appearance of our third Kamen Rider in our story!

**Fen: **Care to guess which one guys?

**SD:** I'll give you a hint: it's not Kabuto or TheBee! ^_^

**Fen:** Obviously. Well they're gonna have to find out when they read, so let's get to it!

**SD:** Right! *grabs Gatack and Rider Belt*

**Fen:** Ikuze! *grabs Kabuto and Rider Belt*

**Both:** Henshin!

**HENSHIN!**

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

><p>Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh… my head…<p>

What the heck happened? One minute, Captain Brenner and I defeated that Scarab Worm and the next thing ZECT came in, and… I don't know what happened after. Blinking, I found myself in some strange holding cell occupied by only myself and a still unconscious Captain Brenner, "Captain? Captain, are you alright?"

"Ughhhhhh…" Captain Brenner groaned before he started coming to. "Where… are we?"

"You okay Captain?" I asked.

"I'm fine… still a bit drowsy though…" Brenner said, shaking his head. Looking to me as his eyes adjusted to the light, he asked, "Kurogasa, where are we?"

"I don't know…" I said as I heard a few footsteps. "But I think we're about to find out…" Just then, I noticed that Kabuto and TheBee were gone, "Our ZECTers! They're missing!"

"Of course they are. They belong to us." An elder voice said as an elder voice said as a man in his 60's with combed black and grey hair, wearing glasses and a three piece suit walked over to us coming up to the jail bars. "I trust your stay here is comfortable?"

"Who are you?!" I demanded. "What have you done with Kabuto and TheBee?!"

"Now, now, let's not be hasty," the man said in an irritatingly calm voice. "All will be explained soon enough. First, you will answer my questions. Who are you? And why were you two using my company's property?"

"Your company's," Brenner asked. "You're ZECT?"

"Oh, so you've heard of us?"

"Only a little," Brenner frowned. "My first lieutenant said that you're a well–respected but secretive weapons research and development corporation. Many of Rubinelle's most advanced weaponry came out of there."

"Ah, you're well informed." The elder man said impressed. He then said, "And I take from our mutual friend, Dr. Stauffenburg, you learned how to use our greatest creation yet, the ZECTers?"

"Actually, it's the ZECTers that taught us." I said. "He just only helped us out with the weapon accessories. Well… in my case that is."

The man nodded as he said, "Indeed… The traitor never knew when to keep his mouth shut."

"Whoa! Wait a minute traitor?" Brenner asked.

"For your information, we've been taking out Worms while trying to find survivors in this desolate world we now live in!" I snapped.

The man seemed unconcerned by the outburst. "Yes… That's all fine and good, but the fact is that the good doctor broke his agreement of secrecy. His work was classified and yet he spilled the beans to a ragtag group of soldiers who seem to think they know what is going on."

"Do _NOT_ question the 12th Battalion of the Rubinelle Army!" Brenner growled, "_My_ Battalion!"

"An army that officially no longer exists," the man taunted, never breaking his cool. "My organization is the one truly preserving the world's future… But you kids going around playing hero, is rather cute."

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr…" I growled.

"I will decide the fate of your so–called battalion later. Right now, I have other things to attend to." The elder man said before leaving.

"Wait!" Brenner shouted. "Let my men go! You can keep me, but let my soldiers and Kurogasa go!"

"Hmph, you're in no position to be making demands with me." The man said, before he actually left.

"Great…" I sighed. "_Now_ what do we do?"

Brenner sighed as he sat back down, leaning against the wall. "I don't know. If we had our ZECTers, we could transform and break out of here no sweat. But these walls are solid steel and I got nothing to pick the lock of the bars."

"Man, I hope Lin is okay…" I said worriedly, sitting down, leaning against the wall.

Brenner nodded as he said, "I hope Koji managed to escape, or else he could be in trouble."

"Wait a minute, Koji? What happened to him?" I asked, suddenly worried for my friend as Brenner's words confused me.

"He got shot in the arm in a fight with the Beast. I ordered him to retreat and get medical attention, but I don't know if he managed to escape before ZECT caught everyone."

"I see…" I said before sighing, "Man, what have we gotten ourselves into this time?"

* * *

><p><strong>(Cue Theme D–Technolife by UVERworld)<strong>

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi yo)** The scenery is a barren wasteland, with a sky that blotted out the sun. The camera pans slowly to the right as Kurogasa, with his back facing the camera, looks at the barren wasteland on top of a cliff.  
><strong>(Kesenai kako mo seoiatteikou ikiru koto o nagedasanai de)<strong> The camera then suddenly changes to a close up of Kurogasa's face before it went around his head, the camera's view being blocked momentarily when it reached the back of his head and when the camera finally circles to the side of his face, it showed Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Kabuto, before panning out showing him in his full armor. Looking up at the sky, a ray of light suddenly burst through the clouds shining on Kabuto before the screen goes white.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] tsunaida kimi no te o)** The title Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin appears on the screen and just before the song enters the next phrase, the ZECTers flew, crawled, and hopped around the title from behind and jumped towards the screen before changing to the next scene.

**(Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana)** Koji sits on the edge of his bed, sadly looking at his guitar on one side, his rifle on the other, as Gatack flew up and lands on his shoulder.  
><strong>(Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara)<strong> Rika was in the medical wing of the base, sighing and wiping sweat off her brow as she tries to organize her medical supplies, Sasword crawling around on a table while Brenner, Lin, Isabella, and Will were discussing plans for their next move.

**(Hibiku~ boku wo yobu koe sae kare)** Kurogasa was cooking and Kabuto watched on his shoulder before Kurogasa noticed something from afar on the horizon.  
><strong>(Toki ni sou kaze ni kakikesaretatte)<strong> Drake and TheBee fly past him as we see what Kurogasa was looking out: a swarm of Salis Worms flanking Dr. Caulder with Admiral Greyfield, Waylon, showing up one end of the battlefield along with Tasha and Gage on another end and they sending out their troops alerting the 12th Platoon.

**(Kimi wo mitsu–ke–da–su)** Kurogasa grabs Kabuto and transforms into Kamen Rider Kabuto, before casting off his armor and charging towards Dr. Caulder.

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi mou)** Dr. Caulder snaps his fingers and Kamen Rider Punch and Kick Hopper appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Kabuto for an attack only for the latter to dodge before going to attack them.  
><strong>(Waraenai nante, hito kirai nante kotoba sou iwanaide)<strong> Koji transforms into Kamen Rider Gatack and leads the Tech Platoon with their heavy weapons attacking some of the Salis Worms as Brenner transforms into Kamen Rider TheBee and he, Lin, and Will attack the rest of the forces.  
><strong>(Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara)<strong> Rika and David "Deadeye" Stevens transforms into Kamen Rider Sasword and Kamen Rider Drake respectively and attack some of the Salis Worms.  
><strong>(Ima wa sono mama de ii, kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou [WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH])<strong> As Kurogasa battles Punch Hopper and Kick Hopper, Caulder surprisingly joins in and transforms into Kamen Rider Caucasus, going to punch Kurogasa, only for the latter to dodge and he and Caluder stared each other down.

**(You and Me, two have spoken.)** The Hyper ZECTer appears from the distortion of time and Kurogasa grabs it to become Hyper Kabuto.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] Itsuka wakariaeru kara)** Kurogasa then grabs the Perfect ZECTer and he and Caucasus leap at each other, their attack causing a huge flash of light. When the light fades, we see Kurogasa, Koji, Rika, Brenner, Will, Lin, Isabella, Tasha, Gage, and Stauffenburg looking out into the sunset, the ZECTers with them as well before the song ends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: Moving On<p>

_"Gh…! I can't pick this lock." Lin gritted as she used bobby pins she had in her pouch to try and unlock the lock while Will was in the same cell as her._

_Will worriedly asked, "So we're stuck in here, Lieutenant?"_

_"I'm afraid so…" Lin sighed as she stopped and went back to sit down next to Will. "I really hope Kurogasa is okay. He may be able to hold his own, but with ZECT, I don't know if he can handle them."_

_Will nodded as he said, "Well, Captain Brenner was with him, so hopefully together they're alright." Trying to see out into the rest of the cell block, he asked, "What about the rest of our men? Are they all here?"_

_"Probably," Lin said. "And they're probably having the same problem as we are."_

_Will gave a sigh as he slumped down on the floor. "Great… We're stuck here then."_

_"I guess we are. That is unless someone from the outside can get us out."_

* * *

><p><em>After what seemed like forever, Koji managed to make it back to the base, though he was pretty worse for wear. The shot to his arm had been a relatively minor wound, but he had lost a good amount of blood on the way back. "Crap… this wound is worse than I thought…" He gritted. He stumbled through the main gate and and fell to the ground panting as a few soldiers noticed him and rushed to help the young sergeant to the infirmary.<em>

_"Hey, are you okay?!" One soldier asked worriedly._

_"Sarge, what happened?" Another asked as he picked him up._

_Koji, pale faced, said, "I'm alright… Ergh… maybe not… need to get to the infirmary, soldier…"_

_"Right away, sir," The second soldier said, helping him walk. The two soldiers quickly helped Koji limp to the infirmary, one of the medics there quickly bringing Koji to the examining table as another went to get Rika. "Dr. Ryusaki it's Sergeant Shinamori! He's wounded!"_

_Rika gasped as she immediately got to her feet and rushed in. "What happened to him!?"_

_"His arm has a bullet wound. It looks pretty deep."_

_The other soldier then added, "Yeah, and he lost a lot of blood from it."_

_"WHAT?" Rika shrieked. "You should've said that sooner! C'mon, you're helping me!"_

_"Y–Yes, ma'am," The soldiers replied as they ran after her into the examining room._

_When they got there, the one combat medic had cut off Koji's BDU blouse, leaving him topless and had applied removed the bullet from his arm and was was applying pressure to his wound to try and stop the bleeding. "I've gotten the bullet out, Doctor, but I think he might have gotten an infection. He's got a fever and is sweating profusely. He's also rather low on blood."_

_Rika looked horrified, "Keep the pressure on it. Nurse, I'm gonna need 30mg of morphine on the double! Now,"_

_The nurse went to do so as Rika started to get ready stitch up the wound. Then, looking to the two soldiers that brought him, she ordered, "You, go to the medicine cabinet and get me some penicillin. We need to fight any infection he has! And you go get a wet cloth with cold water to put on his forehead! We need to bring his fever down anyway we can!"_

_"Yes ma'am!" The soldiers said before doing their assignments._

_"C'mon Koji, hang in there!" Rika prayed. "I can't lose you!"_

_As she said that, Koji opened his eyes slightly and said with a pained chuckle, "Don't worry, Rika… I ain't planning on going anywhere."_

_"O–Ok…"_

_"Just… do what you do best…"_

_"Yeah," Rika nodded. "You owe me a disco dance after all this."_

_Koji chuckled as he said, "You bet…" He then quietly passed out again as Rika, her nurse, and the medics started their work to patch up the wounded sergeant._

* * *

><p>"Gah, come on, let us out already!" I shouted to no one in particular. This is getting really tedious for me. Brenner and I have been sitting in this cell for the past two hours and it's driving me nuts! I want out!<p>

"Kurogasa, calm down," Brenner ordered. "There's no point in shouting. Save your energy."

I sighed heavily at this before plopping my butt down to the ground. "Sorry…"

Brenner gave a nod as he said, "It's alright… Trust me I want to get out of this place just as much as you do. But we need to save our strength for when we have the chance to get out."

"Yeah, but the question is, how are we gonna get out?" I asked.

Brenner was about to answer until we heard coming towards our cell. "It looks like we're about to find out." He said.

Looking through the bars, we saw one of those bug-headed soldiers for ZECT approaching us. Snidely, I replied, "Aren't you a little short to be a ZECTrooper?"

The ZECTrooper replied, "Oh, so the cook who likes to play hero is gonna insult me being slightly on the shorter side? And here I was planning to let you out."

"Nandato~" I growled, balling up a fist.

"Easy Kururugi," Brenner said before turning to the ZECTrooper. "You're letting us out?"

The ZECTrooper nodded as he then removed his helmet, revealing a fair-skinned guy with short black hair mixed dyed red strands, and dark green eyes with a scar going across his face in a diagonal from his right temple down to the left side of his jaw, "Howdy, Captain."

Brenner's eyes widened, "Stevens? You managed to escape capture?"

"Who is this, Captain?" I asked confused.

"Kurogasa Kururugi, meet Sergeant Davis 'Deadeye' Stevens, platoon sergeant for the battalion's Sniper Platoon."

"Sniper Platoon huh?" I said.

Brenner nodded as he said, "Like Staff Sergeant Shinamori's Tech Platoon, Sniper Platoon is one of our specialized units, rather than just being a general purpose infantry platoon like Alpha or Bravo Platoons. Sergeant Stevens is the best shot in the Rubinelle Army."

"I see." I said. "Well, it's nice to meet ya. Sorry, about earlier."

Stevens shrugged as he said, "Whatever. No big deal." Grabbing the keys on his belt, he unlocked the gate and said, "Now c'mon. We need to free the rest of the battalion."

"Yeah, and the ZECTers," I added. "I need to get Kabuto out of there."

Stevens chuckled sarcastically as he said, "Heh, good luck with that. This place has super-tight security. They're going to be holding on to those things like no one's business."

"Screw security! I'll pry the ZECTers out of their grubby hands if I have to!"

Stevens looked at me incredulously. "You got a death wish or something, kid?"

"He's right, you can't just barge in." Brenner said. "We gotta be careful about this."

I grunted with frustration as I said, "Okay, fine. But we can't let those guys keep the ZECTers! Who knows what they'll do with them!?"

"We'll get them, but first we need to free the rest of the battalion." Brenner said.

"I also spotted a group of civilians also captured. We need to free them as well. They're in the lower cells two floors down." Stevens added.

"I say we get out the rest of the battalion," I replied. "It'll be easier to free the civilians and the ZECTers then."

"Agreed," Brenner nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>So with that, the three of us snuck around the new base going undetected to make sure the ZECTroopers don't spot us. We had a few close calls to the point where Stevens and Brenner had to silently knock them out cold. Finally, after a lot of stealthy sneaking, we managed to locate the prison block where the rest of our unit was being held. Finally, after a lot of stealthy sneaking, we managed to locate the prison block where the rest of our unit was being held.<p>

"Lin? Are you here?" I called out.

There was silence for a moment before I heard her voice reply, "Kurogasa? Is that you?"

"Lin!" I shouted before running to the voice.

As I unlocked her gate, David said to Brenner, "He normally this single minded?"

Brenner chuckled as he said, "When it comes to Lin, yes." He and Stevens then went to start unlocking the other gates.

"Boy, are we glad to see you," Will said, relieved.

"Same here kid, but we gotta move." Brenner said.

"He's right. There're some civilians two levels down from here." Stevens said.

Brenner then asked, "What about Dr. Stauffenburg? They mentioned they were keeping him somewhere."

"Most likely he's in a cell level below the civilians." Stevens answered. "And the ZECTers are probably there too."

I then asked worriedly, remembering what the captain said before, "What about Koji? Is he with you guys?"

"Sorry, we haven't seen him." Lin shook her head.

As I sighed sadly, Brenner said, immediately taking command, "Alright, here's the plan: Lieutenant, gather the troops, get any weapons you can find, and free those civilians as well as locate any other members of the battalion unaccounted for. Kurogasa and I will go free the doctor and the ZECTers. Sergeant Stevens, can you lead us to this lower level you mentioned?"

"Yes I can."

"Good." Brenner nodded before turning to his first lieutenant, "Lin?"

"Yes sir." Lin nodded. "C'mon Will, you're with me."

"You got it, LT!" Will replied as he went with Lin.

"Alright, let's go get Stauffenburg and the ZECTers," Brenner then said to Stevens and I.

"Yes sir." We nodded before going on our way.

* * *

><p><em>"Ohhhhh… what have I gotten myself into…?" Stauffenburg groaned while in his cell with the ZECTers.<em>

_"C'mon, c'mon, let us out of here!" TheBee shouted, trying to find a way out. The cell they're in was made so that even the ZECTers can't escape._

_"It's no good, TheBee," Kabuto stated sadly, sitting on Stauffenberg's shoulder. "They designed this place so we couldn't escape." Then, looking to Stauffenburg, he said, "Hey, Doc… for what it's worth… I'm sorry we all got you in trouble with ZECT."_

_"Oh it's no trouble… To be honest, I don't like ZECT in the first place. Sure, they want to save the world and all, but I think the battalion's doing better than them."_

_Kabuto chuckled as he said, "I agree with you, Doc."_

_TheBee nodded in agreement as he landed on Stauffenberg's other shoulder. "It's just a shame we are stuck in here." Then, fearfully, he said, "What do you think they're going to do to us?"_

_"I don't want to find out." Kabuto said._

_"Then maybe I can help," a voice said._

_"Huh?" The three said._

_"Drake, is that you?!" Kabuto asked surprised._

_"You betcha," The newest ZECTer said as he came into view, revealing himself to be a cyan robotic dragonfly. "What's up, guys?"_

_"Boy I'm glad to see you!" TheBee sobbed comically, "WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

_"What are you doing here?" Kabuto asked._

_Drake flipped in the air as he said, "I was randomly flying by and decided I would prank these guys a bit. As I flew in, I happened to detect you guys in here." He then noticed Stauffenburg in there, too, and said, "Oh, hey Doc didn't notice you were in here!"_

_"And a hello to you too…" Stauffenburg huffed, annoyed that he didn't notice._

_"Sorry, the windows are kinda small," Drake said sheepishly. "Okay, hang on! I'll have you out in two jiffies!"_

_"How are ya gonna do that?" TheBee asked._

_"I'll type in a security code," Drake replied. "It'll take a few since I got small legs, though."_

_"Alright, just make it quick." Stauffenburg hissed. "One wrong entry and it will set off the alarm in the entire base,"_

_If Drake had eyes he could roll, he would have done so at that time. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... Sheesh, relax, Doctor Worries–a–lot."_

_"Just hurry up…"_

* * *

><p><em>"Sir, we have a profile on the ZECTer users and the couple of the detainees." One of the ZECTroopers said giving the leader some files on the table.<em>

_The man nodded as he took the files and flipped through them. "Hmmm_…_ Two military officers, an army cadet, and a… A chef…? Hmmm …The army captain, I get, but… Why would one of our ZECTers pick someone so unfit for combat to partner up with?"_

_"Hmmm… Well, we'll–!"_

_*EEEE, EEEE!*_

_The leader looked around as the warning alarm went off, red lights flashing. "What's going on?" The leader pressed a button on the desk intercom, "What's going on?! Give me a status report!"_

**["Sir, there's just been a breakout on the prison level!"]**_ The voice of one of the soldier's replied. _**["The army unit we found is escaping!"]**

_The leader snarled at this, "WHAAAAAAAT?!"_

**["I–It is true sir! But don't worry, some of our troops are going after them right now!"]**

_The leader growled under his breath as he then said, "And what about the traitor and the ZECTers?"_

**["U–Um…"]**

_"SPEAK!"_

**["They escaped too!"]**

_"…"_

**["S–Sir…? W–What are your orders…?"]**

_"…FIND THEM, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!"_

**["Y–Yes sir, right away, sir!"]**

_*CLICK*_

* * *

><p>"Phew…" Drake said in a tired sounding voice, "It's not easy trying to type all this with my tiny legs."<p>

"Great, now we can get out of here!" TheBee cheered.

"…Which means it should be about a few more blocks down," a voice said as the ZECTers and Stauffenburg left the cell.

"Hey, who's that?" Kabuto asked fearfully.

Then another voice, this one more familiar, said, "Alright, let's do this quick and get them out of there."

"I know that voice! Hey Cappy, over here," TheBee called out.

Brenner looked up as he heard all too-familiar voice, "TheBee!?"

"Oi, Aibou!" Kabuto shouted.

"Kabuto, is that you?!" I shouted.

We ran towards the sounds and, much to our relief, found our two ZECTers, plus Dr. Stauffenburg and one new ZECTer. "Oh, thank goodness!" Stauffenburg shouted he began to cry in a comic style.

"Hey easy, Doc, we're glad to see you too." Brenner chuckled.

"Who's the dragonfly?" I asked.

"Oh right," the new ZECTer said as he flew over to me, "The name's Drake. Pleasure to meet you guys."

"Same here, I'm Kurogasa, Kabuto's partner." I waved.

"I'm Captain Alex Brenner, commander of the Rubinelle Army's 12th Infantry Battalion and TheBee's partner," Brenner then explained.

"It's nice to meet ya!" Drake said before turning to Stevens, "Hm?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah… Sergeant David Stevens, platoon sergeant for 12th Battalion's Sniper Platoon. Friends call me Deadeye."

"Deadeye… huh," Drake said circling around him, inspecting him.

"W–What is it?" Stevens asked.

"Uh–huh… hmmm… mhmm…" Drake said, inspecting every angle of Stevens from top to bottom. "You're a sniper, you say?" The robotic dragonfly then asked.

Stevens, quirking an eyebrow, replied, "That _is_ why I lead Sniper Platoon. Why?"

"Well, prepare to meet your new shooting partner!" Drake said. "You're gonna become a Kamen Rider like Kurogasa and Captain Brenner!"

Stevens looked extremely confused. "I'm gonna be a what–now?"

"Watch this," I smirked, "Oi, Kabuto!"

"Right–O, let's do it!" Kabuto shouted as he flew into my hand.

I then revealed my belt before shouting, "Henshin!" and slid Kabuto onto my belt.

**HENSHIN!**

Immediately, the red hexagons of energy began forming all over my body, quickly turning into my Masked Form's armor. Looking to Stevens, I asked, "So, impressed?"

Stevens blinked before saying, "Meh, not really."

That made me fall down anime style, "Are you serious?!" I snapped after getting back up.

Brenner then said, "Well, maybe he needs to see two." Looking to TheBee, he said, "Ready to show him our party trick, partner?"

"You got it!" TheBee chirped before flying into his hands and placed TheBee on the Rider Brace.

Brenner shouted, "Henshin!"

**HENSHIN!**

Yellow energy hexagons began forming over Brenner, solidifying into his Masked Form armor. Standing next to me, he said, "What now?"

The sniper shrugged his shoulders and said, "Eh, I guess it's pretty cool."

"Is he always like that?" I whispered to Brenner.

"You'd get used to it, after a while." Brenner said.

"So, you gonna partner with me?" Drake asked.

"Um… You sure you want to partner up with me?" Stevens asked as Drake flew around his head.

"Yep, you're a sniper, and I am designed specifically for long range combat. We'd make a perfect team!" Drake exclaimed happily.

"Hmmm… Long range combat huh?" Stevens said pondering on the offer.

Stauffenburg nodded as he stepped over to a table with his briefcase. "Yeah, Kabuto was designed as the prototype ZECTer, and the next three, TheBee, Drake, and Sasword were each designed for a specific type of combat: unarmed, shooting/long range, and melee, respectively." Opening up the briefcase, he took out what appeared to be the handle of a gun, but lacking the barrel.

"Where did you get that?" I asked surprised. "Isn't your stuff usually taken when someone takes you as hostage?"

"The interrogators left it here," the doctor explained as he approached Stevens. "I was the lead designer, and the interrogator wanted the items close in case they wanted to ask me about them." He then handed the gun handle to Stevens, "Take this. It's the Drake Grip. You'll be able to transform into Kamen Rider Drake with this."

Stevens looked to the Drake Grip, turning it over in his hands as he examined it. Finally, he smiled as he said with a shrug, "Why not? It could be fun."

"Alright, let's do this!" Drake said. "Raise that Drake Grip in the air!" Stevens did as told and the Drake Grip let out a medium-high pitched pulsing sound as Drake circled around the grip before attaching the end of its abdomen to the Drake Grip and a clip locked him in place so now Drake become an actual gun, "Henshin!"

**HENSHIN!**

Cyan colored hexagons of energy wrapped around Stevens, encasing him until he was finally in his armor.

The Drake armor is quite different from the others. The chest plate is thick sky blue steel and a red piece near the collar, but it is streamlined, made for easier movement. Underneath the abdomen section are metal cables which curve around his sides and attach to the back. His left shoulder is rounded with silver steel, marked with a blue dragonfly ZECT insignia. His other shoulder sports pointed white and red armor. His left arm has the standard silver segmented pieces, but the right arm has blue segmented pieces which look thinner, mounted underneath a metal cable ending in a spiked gauntlet. His faceplate is covered with blue steel, visibility only thanks to four slits, and a black air tube connecting to something underneath the armor on his back.

Stevens held his hands up slightly as he looked at his new armor, giving off an impressed whistle at the sight. "Heh… I think I can dig this."

"Glad you like it, now c'mon, let's meet up with Lin and the others and get out of here." I urged.

Stevens then teased, "You seem awfully interested in getting back to Lin specifically."

Good thing my armor is hiding my blush, "L–Let's just go!" I stammered before leaving.

"Well you heard the kid, let's get going Stevens." Brenner said.

"Heh, you got it, Boss," Stevens said as he ran after Brenner and me.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile… a platoon of ZECTroopers, were searching the base for the prisoners in hope to recapture them again. "Spread out and find them! They couldn't have gone too far!" The platoon leader ordered.<em>

_The troopers began spreading out as one went to a video recording system. "Sir, look! The two with ZECTers #1 & #2 got back their ZECTers and freed the doctor. And another soldier acquired a third ZECTer!"_

_"WHAT?" The platoon leader asked shocked. "Which one is it?!"_

_"It's the Drake ZECTer sir!"_

_Looking about nervously, he said, "We need to stop them! If the director discovers they have acquired ANOTHER ZECTer, we're all in trouble!" The troopers then moved even faster to try and find the high profile prisoners._

_However, one of them stayed behind as the ZECTrooper suddenly changed form into a Salis Worm and after that, it immediately molted._

_The Worm was taller than the others, being based on a caterpillar. It was a sickly greenish color with black and gold designs over its body with blackish–green eyes. It had two muscular arms and two strong legs, each with long claws at the end. The Caterpillar Worm looked around a bit before it sensed some people coming nearby and decided to Clock Up out of the area and target, them._

* * *

><p>After we reunited with Dr. Stauffenburg and the ZECTers, along with meeting the dragonfly ZECTer Drake who then joined with Stevens, we made our way upward and quickly rendezvoused with the rest of the battalion who were in the middle of fighting their way out of the ZECT base. "Lieutenant, the cavalry has arrived!" Brenner said.<p>

Lin breathed a sigh of relief as she took out another ZECTrooper and said, "About time, Captain! What happened? You guys stop for coffee?"

"I wish." Stevens said.

"Huh? Who are you?" Lin asked.

"It's me, Deadeye."

Lin's eyes widened slightly as she said, "Deadeye!? Where have you been?"

"I'll explain later, LT," Deadeye said as he shot at two ZECTroopers.

"Let's take out these guys!" I said before taking my Kunai Gun in gun mode and shot at the ZECTroopers. Brenner nodded in agreement as he leapt over our heads and rushed towards the ZECTroopers to engage them hand to hand.

"Alright men, you heard Kurogasa, let's take out these guys! Keep firing!" Lin shouted.

As we engaged the ZECTroopers, I was amazed by how well–trained these guys were. They were certainly far better soldiers than the ones following the Beast.

"Sir, the civilian prison is just up ahead, but these ZECTroopers are in the way." Lin said to Brenner.

Looking back as he shattered the helmet of a ZECTrooper with a punch, Brenner shouted, "Got it! Kurogasa! Stevens! You guys stay here and help them with these ZECTroopers! I'll free the civilians!"

"Right," Stevens and I nodded.

"Alright, let's make this quick." Brenner said before he flipped TheBee's wings over and green electricity crackled as steam came out and the armor spread out a bit, "Cast Off!" He shouted, and turned TheBee so that his stinger his sticking out.

**CAST OFF!**

The armor detached and spread out, sending the chunks and pieces to the ZECTroopers who dodged it.

**CHANGE: WASP!**

Entering his Rider Form, he then turned towards the holding cells for the civilians. "Alright, time to get a move on."

**CLOCK UP!**

Since I was in normal time, I saw Brenner go really fast towards the cell where the civilian prisoners are held. Stevens, seeing this, then said as he shot at another ZECTrooper, "Whoa… We all can do that?"

"Yep," I said. "And I know I am!" I flipped Kabuto's horn slightly and blue electricity crackled as the armor dispersed a bit and steam came out of the cracks, "Cast Off!" I shouted before flipping Kabuto's horn completely.

**CAST OFF!**

The Masked Armor dispersed, and the beetle horn rose up to bisect the lens.

**CHANGE: BEETLE!**

Seeing me change into my light armored form, Stevens looked to Drake and asked, "Yo, Drake, how do I do that?"

"You have to–" Drake began, but we were suddenly interrupted by something that blurred past us fast and it knocked some of our soldiers and the ZECTroopers away.

"What was that!?" Stevens shouted as he saw the blur fly past us.

"That was a Worm!" I shouted as I prepared to catch up to it.

**CLOCK UP!**

My world slowed down and what I saw was a Worm that's based on a caterpillar. It was a sickly greenish color with black and gold designs over its body with blackish–green eyes. It had two muscular arms and two strong legs, each with long claws at the end, "A caterpillar? Heh… Too bad he won't get to become a butterfly." Switching the Kunai Gun into Ax Mode, I charged towards it, slashing wildly at him. The Worm noticed and it curled up to block my slashes, rendering my attack useless. "What the–"

Next thing that happened, it uncurled and relentlessly punched me with its strong arms and used its claws on its feet to kick me while slashing at the same time, making sparks fly off my armor.

I then went flying, crashing through a bunch of ZECTroopers and Rubinelle soldiers, knocking over a bunch of crates as well. "Ugh… I think I need to install some extra padding in this thing if I'm constantly going to beat up like this."

**CLOCK** **OVER!**

Aw man, not _now_!

I stood up as I returned to real time, trying balance myself just as the Worm came at me again, punching and kicking me repeatedly, causing a shower of sparks to fly off my armor.

"Hey Drake, the kid needs help! How do I cast off the armor?" Stevens asked.

"Pull the switch on the back of the Drake Grip!" Drake shouted. "And then shout Cast Off!"

"Okay, then," Stevens nodded before looking at it. "Uh… where's the switch?"

"It's at the end of my abdomen!" Drake said.

"What?"

"Pull my butt!"

Stevens rolled his eyes under his helmet as he said, "I wish more women would tell me that." Doing as commanded, he pulled the switch on the back of his gun, causing the pieces of his armor to start separating. "Cast Off!"

**CAST OFF!**

The armor then separated hitting the Caterpillar Worm dead on, and when I looked up, I saw Stevens in his Rider Form.

The suit comprises of the black bodysuit with light metal plating on the legs for easier movement and a metal, belt with a hexagonal center with ZECT's title in the middle. The torso armor from the front looks like a pair of dragonfly wings with red tips spreading across the chest and back. The tips pointed up from his right shoulder, touch together to make the right shoulder plating. His left shoulder plating looks like a dragonfly's head while blue metal bands similar to dragonfly legs wrapped under his left arm. What the legs didn't cover was protected by silver metal plating. His right arm is covered in lightweight segmented blue steel which ended in a spiked tailpiece on the back of his fist, the whole ensemble looking like a dragonfly's tail. Lastly his helmet was mainly black with a silver metal strip running down the center of his face, widening near the bottom to act as a mouth plate. The base of the helmet was lined with similar steel. The eyepieces were quite ornate compared to the other Riders, being large and blue, but flaring out like a pair of wings.

**CHANGE: DRAGONFLY!**

* * *

><p><strong>BGM: Full Force by RIDER Chips feat. Ricky<strong>

"Hmmm… Not bad," Stevens said as he looked over his new form, only to then get barreled over by the Caterpillar Worm, "GAH!" Stevens cried out, tumbling to the ground before getting back up. "Ugh… alright, you caterpillar bastard, you asked for it!" With that he aimed Drake and energy bullets shot out of the robotic dragonfly's eyes! The blasts, unfortunately, missed due to the Worm still being Clocked Up, but did manage to hit three ZECTroopers. "Dang, I need to speed up!"

"David, it's on your waist!" Drake shouted. "Hit that pad there! That'll allow you to Clock Up!"

"Okay," Stevens said before hitting the pad, "Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

Immediately, Stevens' world slowed down to a crawl with only him and the Worm now at normal speed. "This is… unreal…"

"You're moving at the speed of light," Drake explained. "That's why other than you and Worm, everything around you is moving slower."

"Well, this is certainly gonna be fun, then," Stevens said smugly as he looked to his gun and then pointed it towards the Worm, shooting energy bullets at it.

The Caterpillar Worm staggered backwards as the energy bullets pushed it back. Drake charged in after and delivered a few punches and kicks at the Worm. The latter tried to swing at Stevens with its punches and kicks, but Stevens either dodged or parried using Drake to block it and shoot more bullets at it.

"Heh heh, how do you like me now, bug boy!?" Stevens shouted as he fired at the Worm.

However, as the creature got to its feet, it did something unexpected. Looking to Stevens, it fired a stream of silky thread at his feet, sticking them to the ground.

"What the–" Steven got out as he tried to free himself from the sticky threads, but to no avail. The Caterpillar Worm charged in finally got some punches and kicks at Stevens and slashing him with its claws while it was at it, making Stevens cry out in pain.

"Stevens!" I shouted as I managed to get back up, "Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

Speeding up to light speed with them, I rushed up to the Worm, slashing at him with my ax to knock him away from the sniper Rider, "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Stevens replied. "…Somehow."

"Don't worry I'll get you out of there." I said as I pulled out my dagger and started slicing at the sticky thread. This thing is _really_ sticky though, so this is gonna be tough.

Seeing the Worm coming, Stevens started shooting over me as he said, "Just cut me out of here, Kururugi! I'll cover you!"

"Right," I nodded as I kept on cutting the silky thread.

I heard Stevens constantly shooting at the Caterpillar Worm as it practically danced about, dodging the blasts. "How close are you to freeing me?" Stevens asked.

"Almost there, just keep shooting!"

"What do you think I'm doing!?" He shouted as he continued blasting at the Worm.

And after a few slashes…

"Alright, you're free!"

And just in time, because Stevens had just enough time to duck as the Worm leapt at us.

"Hey Stevens, let's finish him off with the Rider Shooting!" Drake said.

Stevens asked, looking at Drake, "Rider Shooting? What's that?"

"It's our special attack!" Drake exclaimed excitedly.

"Okay, so how do I do that?"

"Fold my wings up and pull them down. They will lock in place. After that, you have to pull on the switch again."

"You mean your butt right?"

"What?" I asked in disbelief.

Stevens looked at me and said, "You really wanna do this now!?" He then started up his finishing move.

Kabuto then said to me, "Aibou, shall we join him?"

"Might as well," I shrugged.

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

We nodded to each other once we were all set up, me pulling back Kabuto's horn as Stevens folded up Drake's wings and pulled it down to lock them in place. He then grabbed Drake's bu- switch. Together, I pulled the horn back down as Stevens pulled back the switch.

**RIDER KICK/SHOOTING!**

Stevens aimed at the Caterpillar Worm and an orb of blue energy and electricity gathered at Drake's eyes while electricity gathered traveled from the gun to his helmet then back at the gun. Meanwhile my kicking foot crackled with electricity as I traveled my leg to my helmet then back down at my kicking foot.

The Worm saw we were planning to destroy it and rushed at us, hoping to take us down before we unleashed our ultimate attacks.

I charged in at the Caterpillar Worm and it threw a punch at me but I ducked under, making it miss and my back was facing it. The Worm turned and when it did, I did my 360 roundhouse Rider Kick, stunning it, "Now Stevens!"

"Time to finish this," He shouted as he pulled the trigger of his blaster, firing off the energy blast. The energy orb flew fast towards the Caterpillar Worm, and it made a direct hit.

**CLOCK OVER!**

Time returned to normal and the Caterpillar staggered there before exploding in green flames.

**End BGM**

* * *

><p>Stevens then smugly twirled his blaster on his finger a few times as he said, "One shot, one kill."<p>

"Hey, stop spinning me, I'm getting dizzy!" Drake pleaded.

Stevens looked down at Drake as he stopped spinning his weapon. "Huh? Oh… sorry, little dude."

Drake detached from the grip, causing Stevens to go back to civilian form, the energy hexagons falling apart and absorbed into the grip. Drake fell on its back, groaning from the dizziness, "Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

I then detached Kabuto, returning to my civilian form. Looking at Kabuto as he flew onto my shoulder, I said, "Glad I can't do that to you?"

"Yeah," Kabuto said.

"Kurogasa, Deadeye!" Lin called out as she, Will, and the rest of the battalion came up to us.

"Are you two okay?" Will asked.

"Nothing we can't handle," I grinned smugly.

Lin looked to me and patted me hard on the back, causing me to wince, "Sure…"

"What's the sitrep, ma'am?" Stevens asked, ignoring my pain.

"Thanks to that Worm showing up, those ZECTroopers were distracted enough for us to get the edge and force them to retreat back into the deeper parts of the base," Lin explained. "Now we can get out of here, or at least once we find Captain Brenner."

"No need to. I freed the civilian prisoners." Brenner's voice said as we looked to see TheBee and Brenner in civilian form coming out of the door, with some… no wait, scratch that, a lot of civilians behind him.

In amazement, my jaw dropped slightly as I asked, "ZECT… They had all these people held prisoner? Why?"

At that point, one of them… turned into a Salis Worm?!

"It's a Worm!" I panicked.

"Hold on! Don't attack! He's a friend!" One of the civilians called out, coming to the front. The civilian in question was a brown skinned man who appeared to be in his early fifties with curly gray and a gray moustache and was dressed like a doctor. "I know what you're thinking, but he isn't your enemy like the other Worms."

"Who are you?" Lin asked.

"Dr. Morris, MD," the man introduced himself. "These people are my patients."

"All of them are your patients?!" I asked incredulously.

Dr. Morris looked to me and said, "Yes they're all my patients! Why else would I say that!?"

"Calm down you two." Brenner said. "Dr. Morris here is supposedly the civilians' and Natives' representative of New Wolfington."

Natives… Why did that sound familiar? Wait a second… "You mean as in the other Worm group? The ones who helped build the ZECTers?"

"That's right." Brenner nodded.

"Why are they imprisoning the Natives?" Dr. Stauffenburg asked angrily. "ZECT is supposed to protect them not imprison them!"

Dr. Morris then said, chuckling as he said, "Well, in their opinion, what better to protect them than imprisoning them!? That way no one can get to them!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Dr. Morris looked back and forth to all of us, seeing our lack of reaction to his joke as he said, "…Well, I thought it was funny."

"That wasn't even funny to begin with…" I deadpanned.

Stevens, facepalmed as he said, "I hope he doesn't tell 'jokes' like this a lot."

"You'd be surprised." The Native said. "He's a great man and helped the civilians and my people but his jokes are terrible! And I mean terrible."

Dr. Morris smiled and waved off the comment as he said, "C'mon, my jokes aren't _that_ bad. Remember the one about the firefighter and banana cream pie?"

"For some reason, I find that very disturbing," Lin shuddered.

"Anyway," Brenner said, "Let's get back to Freehaven before anyone else notices. We'll steal a few of their transports and get out of here."

"You got it, Captain!" Will replied.

Just then, a private with a radio ran up and said, "Captain, I just established radio contact with the base. They've been briefed on the situation. Also, I received word that Staff Sergeant Shinamori made it back to base. He was in pretty bad shape, but Dr. Ryusaki managed to patch him up."

"Phew… thank goodness." I sighed in relief.

Brenner nodded in agreement as he said, "Indeed. Alright, let's head back to Freehaven and see the mayor before we head back to base."

So with that, all of us, including the civilians and Natives of New Wolfington along with Dr. Morris, followed our platoon. Hopefully we don't run into any more ZECTroopers.

* * *

><p><em>"YOU LET THEM ESCAPE?!" The ZECT leader roared.<em>

_The lead ZECTrooper stood with his helmet under his arm as he bowed apologetically before the ZECT leader and said, "I apologize, Sir, and I accept full responsibility. My men and I were not prepared to face _three_ Kamen Riders and the Worm and the escaped prisoners all at once."_

_"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr…!" The leader snarled, before pressing a button the desk intercom. "All members of ZECT, you are to pursuit and annihilate the escaping prisoners! Don't leave anyone standing! Get the ZECTers back at all costs!"_

_When all his squad leaders replied, confirming they were immediately beginning their pursuit, the man sat back in his chair, trying to calm himself. "We _must_ reacquire the ZECTers at all costs or else our plans are ruined."_

* * *

><p>"Alright guys, let's keep moving!" Brenner said as our group moved along. We somehow managed to get out of the base, without any other ZECTroopers noticing.<p>

"Kurogasa, I've called in the Kabuto Extender. It should be here soon." Stauffenburg said.

"Thanks, Doc," I replied as we got top side. "That'll be one less person to have to worry about loading into the jeeps then.

Brenner then looked to Stauffenburg and asked, "Say, Doc, would it be possible for you to build Rider Machines for Stevens and I?"

"I could. But we need to find the right motorcycles to use." Stauffenburg said.

Stevens quirked an eyebrow as he pointed to a pair sitting amongst the jeeps. "You mean like those?"

"Yes, that'll do," Stauffenburg blinked.

As the Kabuto Extender arrived, Stevens and Brenner hopped on the other motorcycles as the rest of the battalion and the civilians loaded into the jeeps.

"C'mon Lin, get on." I said, getting on my Kabuto Extender.

"Uh… Why?" Lin asked, confused. "I'm gonna be driving one of the jeeps."

"Don't worry LT, I got it!" Will assured getting into the jeep Lin was going to drive.

Lin looked to Will and then to me awkwardly as she said, "O–kay… I guess it frees up some more space."

"Ooo… Trying to get the lieutenant to 'ride' with you, Kururugi?" Stevens smirked.

"Shut up!" I blushed madly. "It's not like that!"

"Then why bother asking her on in the first place?" Stevens grinned back.

Brenner groaned, face palming as he said, "Alright, I don't know what you two are getting on about, but let's shut up and get out of here BEFORE those ZECTroopers find us."

"There they are! They're getting away!"

"Fire, take them down!"

*RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!*

Everyone quickly ducked under the fire. Brenner glared at Stevens and I as he said, "I'm gonna kill both of you when we get back to base. Now let's get out of here!"

"You won't get any arguments from me!" I said as I revved up the engines.

The three of us got on our motorcycles with Lin hopping on behind me as everyone else loaded into the jeeps. Once everyone was set, Brenner shouted, "Let's get out of here!"

"Right," I shouted before I revved up the engines and I was the first to speed off. I wanna at least prolong my inevitable fate of getting reprimanded by Brenner later on.

Everyone rode off after me, avoiding the blasts as best we could.

"They're getting away!" A ZECTrooper exclaimed.

"Don't let them escape the base! Seal off the exit!" Another yelled.

As we drove, the guards started to close the gate. Stevens, seeing this, rode to the front as he said, "Not if I have anything to say about it." Even as he rode, he pulled out his gun and shot the ZECTrooper in the guard post, causing him to fall dead and hit the button that made the gate open up again.

"Let's go!" I said as I revved up the engine to the max and I sped fast ahead of Stevens. I'm not having him making fun of me as we drive back to Freehaven.

Unfortunately, several ZECTroopers hopped onto ATVs to chase after us. "Great…" Lin groaned. She then grabbed her gun and, surprisingly, managed to turn around so she was riding on the Extender backwards. "You drive, I'll shoot," she ordered as several other soldiers opened fire at the pursuing baddies.

"Okay."

"Try and keep steady will ya?" Lin asked.

"No promises." I said.

Lin grunted as she shot at the ZECTroopers, hitting a few of them.

"Take this!" Stevens shouted, shooting a few too, knocking them down and crashing into a couple other ATV's. "That should do it."

"We still got 3 more ATV's coming at us!" Brenner added.

Just then, though, the three ATVs were shot and destroyed, but they weren't by anyone with us who were fleeing from them. Looking forward, I saw one of our Humvees from the base driving towards us, its machine gun firing on the now destroyed ATVs.

"What the–" I got out.

"HELLO JIVE–TURKEYS! I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"

I looked shocked, "Koji!?" I shouted as I looked toward the ATV, seeing Koji manning the powerful machine gun that just saved us.

"Yo. Who said y'all can start the party without me huh?!"

After Koji's save, we all returned to Freehaven to meet up with the mayor. As I got off the Extender and Koji hopped off the back of the Humvee, I asked, "Bud, you alright? One of the soldiers told us you were really beaten up."

"Nah, I'm fine. It's nothing Rika can't fix." Koji waved off.

I smiled as I said, "I'm glad that you're alright then."

Meanwhile Brenner was talking with the Mayor and judging by their conversation, I don't think it's looking good.

"…What are you doing? We saved your village. You promised to take in the civilians," Brenner declared to the mayor, accusingly pointing his finger.

"I said nothing of the sort, Captain." The Mayor said. "All I said was that if you scared off those savages, then I would CONSIDER it." He then turned to his people. "Isn't that right, people? That's what I said! Your mayor is a man of his word!"

"Yeah, that's right! That's what he said!"

"I don't believe this!" Brenner growled.

"Captain, please! Control yourself!" The Mayor said. "Even you can see that this "bargain" of yours affects my entire village. I may be the mayor, but I do not rule by fiat. We are civilized men, after all." Brenner grunted at that. "We will come to a decision in due course. Until then… you must be patient."

"Why, you double–crossing–"

"You have only yourself to blame for your anger, Captain. If you misunderstood my words then the fault is yours alone. I have done nothing wrong."

Brenner calmed down after that, "I see."

"Will you threaten us now? Will you let your guns take the place of your honor? Perhaps we should have taken our chances with the savages!"

Brenner was silent for a moment before saying, "…No, Mayor. I won't threaten you. I won't do anything to unnerve these people that you _pretend_ to care for."

Ooooooooh, ouch…

The mayor looked incredibly offended, "W–What? How dare you!"

Brenner retorted, staring at him harshly, "I remember you. I remember how you were. Scared… alone… on the verge of death. Do you remember your words to me when my men gave you food and shelter? 'I will save others as you have saved me, Brenner.' 'I will construct a village where all can live in peace and rebuild their lives.' Do you remember that? Or did I misunderstand your words again?"

Angrily, the mayor shouted, "Who are you to say such? You're a killer! A soldier! A relic of the past! I give these people peace. I give them hope. You give nothing but horror and death!"

Koji rolled his eyes as he said, "No, that's what your cowardice gave them. You're a weakling who relies manipulates others to do your own dirty work. We actually go out and do good; for others. Do you know how easy it would be for us to be like the Beast, going out and raiding from everyone else to survive? Or to be like you, selfish, caring only about ourselves and manipulating and deceiving other people to do what's good for us and never intend to help them in return? No… We travel about, providing aid to others, protecting them from harm. You have no right to call us killers after saving you and your people from those raiders and the Worms, not once, but twice!"

"As for you, you're only doing this to save yourself." Brenner added. "You don't care about these people at all."

The mayor growled before storming off angrily. When he did, Will then said quietly, "Captain?"

"…Will?" Brenner said, turning to him.

"Sir, I know you have our best interests at heart, but it's OK. Look, I know it might be safer here in this village, but I don't want to stay. I want to serve with you, Captain… you and the battalion."

"Out of the question, Will. It's too dangerous. People who truck with us don't live very long. You're young. Your life is ahead of you."

Will then pleaded, saying, "Please, Captain. Please. Let me stay. Let me fight right with you."

I then piped in, saying, "Sir… if I may? I think that if Will wants to join us… then let him join us. He wants to help us just like the rest of the battalion. After all… if you could take a chance on a cook, then can't you take a chance on an actual military cadet?"

"Hmmmmm…" Brenner said thinking about it, before finally saying, "Honestly, I don't seem to have much choice. And I admire his courage…" Nodding his head, he said, "Alright. Lin! Will! Everyone! Prepare to move out!" He then slowly turned to look at the mayor and said, "…Good luck, Mayor. I think you'll need it." The mayor just grumbled in reply.

* * *

><p>So with that the entire 12th Battalion along with the rest of the civilians including our newly acquired group left Freehaven to do what we do best: Find survivors and care for and protect them. After continuing on our journey for a while, we stopped at a campsite to rest for the night. As the sun set, I was sitting by myself looking at a field of flowers thinking about the recent events that happened.<p>

After a few moments of sitting there in solitude, however, I was soon joined by someone. "Hey, Kurogasa… I need to talk to you," said the voice of Lieutenant Lin.

"Huh? O–Oh, Lin," I got out, standing up.

Approaching me, Lin gave me a hard look as she said, "I need to ask you about something. Something about when we were escaping th ZECT base,"

Oh crap… I knew this was going to bite me in the butt, "Okay, about that, I… guess you could say I wasn't thinking straight, seeing in the situation we were in."

Lin didn't seem convinced quirking an eyebrow. "Regardless… There was no need to ask me to do that."

"I know. I'm sorry… It won't happen again." I sighed.

Lin sighed, face palming as she said, "It is fine… It's just of all people why'd you ask me to go with you?"

"Uh… well…" I blushed, before turning around. "I–I was just worried about ya, t–that's all!" Well, I was, but then again, that's just a lame excuse.

Lin gave a look before she smacked me upside the head. "With everyone else there was to worry about, you idiot!? I'm a soldier, not some damsel–in–distress who needs rescuing. There were plenty of other people that could have used your help rather than me."

"Gh…" I gritted. Dang it, what the heck's wrong with me?!

Looking to me, she said, sighing, "Look. It's sweet that you were looking out for me, but quite frankly, I can handle myself." She then turned to walk off.

"You're right Lin…" I muttered, loud enough for her to hear.

Stopping, she then looked to me, and then, suddenly smirking, said, "By the way… I kinda think I should be more worried about _you_."

"Eh?" I asked confused, looking at her.

Walking back to me, she said, "Well, aren't I the one teaching you how to fight?"

"Well, yeah, but… what does that have to do with–"

Lin cut me off and said, "It means, I'll be watching out for you, kid."

"Oh…" I blinked. "So… it was supposed to be the other way around?"

"That's the way I see it," Lin said as she patted my arm.

"I see…"

"Still, I appreciate the gesture of you looking out for me too." Lin said. "I'll let it slide for now, but the next time something like this happens again, I'll kick your ass."

Gulping, I grinned sheepishly as I scratched the back of my head. "Um, uh… Yeah, I got ya."

"Good," Lin nodded.

Walking around the base, Will happened to stumble upon the nameless girl who was looking at a small field of flowers. Shyly coming up to her, he said, "Um… Hi. How's it going today? I… Brought you something! I hope you like it."

The girl asked, "A flower?"

"Yeah, you can't find many real flowers anymore. I found it while I was on the mission I was on earlier." Will explained.

"It's… It's beautiful. What do you call it?"

Will examined the flower as he said, "Huh? Oh, I don't know. I'm not much of a flower… scientist… guy. Let me ask Lin."

"No, I wait! I remember… This is a Cattleya Isabella. It's a natural hybrid of the orchid family. Cattleya…" She pondered until she brightened up with a smile. "Yes, that's it! That will be my name. I will be named after this beautiful flower you brought me. My name is Cattleya!"

Will eyed, the girl strangely, not sure how well the name she picked work. Then, he got an idea. "Uh… Cattleya…? Wow, that's…that's, uh… that's kind of hard to say, actually. How about we call you Isabella? That's really pretty. It fits you better."

"Isabella…?" The girl pondered, before she brightened up with a smile again. "Oh! I love it, Will! I'm so happy!"

"Oh, good, I think it suits you." Will smiled back.

"Thank you, Will!" the girl now called Isabella said before hugging him, making him blush.

Meanwhile, Lin and I were watching this from afar as Lin chuckled, saying, "Boy meets girl. Boy gives girl flower. Boy names girl. …What's wrong with this world?"

Will looked up in shock as he said, nervously, "Lieutenant! Kurogasa! Um… what are you doing here?"

"Oh nothing," I grinned innocently.

"We've been here… the whole time. Juuuust keeping an eye on you," Lin smirked.

As I watched Isabella and Will, reacting nervously, I couldn't help but feel relieved that someone else was getting teased instead of me. But as I thought about it, I thought about what I did while escaping ZECT. What was I thinking back there? Was it just me or was I really head over heels for Lin? I really need to talk to Koji about this later on. He's an expert with the ladies so he should know.

* * *

><p><strong>Fen:<strong> There you have it guys! Drake joins the group and ZECT makes their debut!

**SD:** Yep! One of our original characters, David "Deadeye" Stevens! A master sniper!

**Fen:** And man, ZECT isn't make things easy for them. I think by now you know the pattern of how the ZECTers and Riders are gonna show up.

**SD:** Yeah. So now, the question becomes this: who will become the remaining Riders?

**Fen:** Tune in next time to find out people! As always, thanks for reading!

**SD:** Until next time, JA NEE!


	6. Chapter 6: Fear Experiment

**Fen:** Aw man! Not again!

**SD:** *wakes up in shock again* Dude! What is it THIS time!?

**Fen:** I didn't update another story in two months! And its Kabuto this time!

**SD:** Aw, no! Good thing we completed this chapter then!

**Souji:** Obaachan ga iteita: There are two things a man must never do. One is to not make girls cry… The other is to not handle food so crudely!

**SD:** *narrows eyes at Tendou* …And that has to do with what we're talking about because…?

**Souji:** The first part involves the readers out there. Do not make the female fans cry because of your tardiness. And other pertains to Kurogasa. You must handle your love interest's food crudely when cooking it.

**Kurogasa:** Hey I cook well enough thank you very much!

**SD:** SHHHHHH! Guys! They haven't _read_ it yet! They don't know about the food and love thing! And Souji, what about the MALE fans!? Aren't you concerned about how _they_ feel!?

**Souji:** Hmph…

**Fen:** Geez, you really _are_ an arrogant badass.

**SD:** Badass isn't the word I would use, but arrogant I agree with… *Regaining composure* A~~NYHOW… Welcome everyone to the latest chapter of "Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin." We have quite an interesting chapter in store for you all.

**Fen:** That's right and it's gonna leave you at the edge of your seat! Well… maybe, maybe not, but who cares! It's gonna be awesome!

**SD:** Indeed it is, so let's waste no more, especially from… *Looks around for Tendou* …"Uninvited guests," shall we say?

**Fen:** Yeah, let's go right now!

**Both:** Henshin!

**HENSHIN!**

**Both:** Cast Off!

**CAST OFF!**

**CHANGE: BEETLE/STAG BEETLE**

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

><p>It's been about a week since we left Freehaven. We got all our people along with our vehicles out of there leaving the Mayor and the citizens of Freehaven behind. Not only that, we got a new doctor named Dr. Morris and and a few other citizens disguised as Native Worms. At first, our people were shocked that we had Worms with us, but the Natives were actually really harmless and want to be friends. It's all good, but it'll take some time to get used to. Also, we got ourselves a new ZECTer and Rider in the form of Drake and David "Deadeye" Stevens. The only bad thing is Deadeye teasing me about Lin. He just really gets on my nerves when it comes to her.<p>

Speaking of, after we set up camp, I went over to Koji's tent to talk to him about my… problem. I poked my head in the tent and said, "Uh… you got a minute Koji?"

Koji had been cleaning his M–16, pieces of it scattered about as he sat on the floor, wiping down the barrel, his guitar sitting on the cot. Not looking up as he continued to work, he said, "Sure, buddy. What's up?"

"Uh…" I said coming in, looking really uncomfortable. "I uh… got a problem…"

"If it's the kind of problem I think it is from the sound of your voice," he replied as he moved on to another part, "I think Rika's the one you need. What happened? Are you sick or something?"

"No… It's not that…" I shook my head. "It's something I need your help with…"

Koji put the piece of his rifle down as he looked me, "My help? What exactly do you–?" He then paused as a knowing grin crossed his face. "Ahhhh… I see… Need help with, uh… your 'lady friend,' shall we say?"

"Dang it Koji, I'm serious here!" I gritted. "You know what? Never mind, I'm not even gonna bother!" I then turned to start walking away.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy!" Koji said as he got up after me. "Relax, Kurogasa, I know you are! Geez, I was trying to calm you down! Don't take everything so seriously, sheesh!" He then led me back into the tent. "Okay… so you want to talk about Lieutenant Lin, yes?"

"Yeah…" I sighed, as we sat down.

"So what's up?" Koji asked.

"Well…" I began, being hesitant before adding, "…it's like this."

I then started explaining everything that happened during our escape from ZECT and the conversation that Lin and I had. I never missed any detail and Koji listened intently to every word I said. When I finished…

"Wow man…" Koji said.

"Yeah… I don't know what the heck I'm doing…" I sighed.

Koji sighed as he leaned his head back against the cot. "I have to admit, aibou, this one's a little different for me than other times you've come to me for girl advice in the past since Lin's one of my two commanding officers. But, I'll see what I can do…" He was silent for a moment, closing his eyes in thought. "Alright, first thing's first: never, and I mean _never_, treat LT like a damsel in distress. She fought very hard to get to where she is right now. I mean, she is only a first lieutenant in the army and she is already the executive officer of a battalion."

"Yeah, I already got a scolding from Lin at that…" I muttered.

Koji smiled with a sympathetic chuckle as he said, "Yeah, she can be a real hardass. Adding to that and what I said before, your best bet if you really want to try and get anywhere with her or date her: show her you respect her as a soldier and a fellow warrior. You show her that you see her as an equal and not as someone you need to be constantly looking after because she's a woman or something, she'll be more open with you."

"Ok…" I nodded, "Anything else?"

"Hmmm..." Koji said, thoughtfully, stroking his chin. He then snapped his fingers. "Oh! Here's something... If you want to think of ways to bond with her, and this might sound strange, try something like asking if she wants to do some practice shooting at the gun range."

"Shooting at the gun range…" I deadpanned with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, like I said, it's strange," Koji said. "Oh! Here's something else. Since cooking is your thing, she has a thing for burgers and fries, so go for that."

"Burgers and… fries…?" I blinked, really surprised. Is he serious? Lin, who looks lean and curvy in the right places, has a thing for burgers and fries? I find that really hard to believe!

Koji just nodded his head. "Mhmm… Trust me on this. And one last thing," He then grabbed my collar and pulled me close to his face, giving me a hard stare straight in the eyes, "Do, _not_, tell, her, I, told, you, _any_, of, this. Clear? If she heard one of her subordinates were doing something like this… I don't even want to know what she might do to me…"

"U–Uh… right…" I gulped nervously. Man, this better work Koji.

* * *

><p><strong>(Cue Theme D–Technolife by UVERworld)<strong>

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi yo)** The scenery is a barren wasteland, with a sky that blotted out the sun. The camera pans slowly to the right as Kurogasa, with his back facing the camera, looks at the barren wasteland on top of a cliff.  
><strong>(Kesenai kako mo seoiatteikou ikiru koto o nagedasanai de)<strong> The camera then suddenly changes to a close up of Kurogasa's face before it went around his head, the camera's view being blocked momentarily when it reached the back of his head and when the camera finally circles to the side of his face, it showed Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Kabuto, before panning out showing him in his full armor. Looking up at the sky, a ray of light suddenly burst through the clouds shining on Kabuto before the screen goes white.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] tsunaida kimi no te o)** The title Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin appears on the screen and just before the song enters the next phrase, the ZECTers flew, crawled, and hopped around the title from behind and jumped towards the screen before changing to the next scene.

**(Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana)** Koji sits on the edge of his bed, sadly looking at his guitar on one side, his rifle on the other, as Gatack flew up and lands on his shoulder.  
><strong>(Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara)<strong> Rika was in the medical wing of the base, sighing and wiping sweat off her brow as she tries to organize her medical supplies, Sasword crawling around on a table while Brenner, Lin, Isabella, and Will were discussing plans for their next move.

**(Hibiku~ boku wo yobu koe sae kare)** Kurogasa was cooking and Kabuto watched on his shoulder before Kurogasa noticed something from afar on the horizon.  
><strong>(Toki ni sou kaze ni kakikesaretatte)<strong> Drake and TheBee fly past him as we see what Kurogasa was looking out: a swarm of Salis Worms flanking Dr. Caulder with Admiral Greyfield, Waylon, showing up one end of the battlefield along with Tasha and Gage on another end and they sending out their troops alerting the 12th Platoon.

**(Kimi wo mitsu–ke–da–su)** Kurogasa grabs Kabuto and transforms into Kamen Rider Kabuto, before casting off his armor and charging towards Dr. Caulder.

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi mou)** Dr. Caulder snaps his fingers and Kamen Rider Punch and Kick Hopper appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Kabuto for an attack only for the latter to dodge before going to attack them.  
><strong>(Waraenai nante, hito kirai nante kotoba sou iwanaide)<strong> Koji transforms into Kamen Rider Gatack and leads the Tech Platoon with their heavy weapons attacking some of the Salis Worms as Brenner transforms into Kamen Rider TheBee and he, Lin, and Will attack the rest of the forces.  
><strong>(Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara)<strong> Rika and David "Deadeye" Stevens transforms into Kamen Rider Sasword and Kamen Rider Drake respectively and attack some of the Salis Worms.  
><strong>(Ima wa sono mama de ii, kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou [WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH])<strong> As Kurogasa battles Punch Hopper and Kick Hopper, Caulder surprisingly joins in and transforms into Kamen Rider Caucasus, going to punch Kurogasa, only for the latter to dodge and he and Caluder stared each other down.

**(You and Me, two have spoken.)** The Hyper ZECTer appears from the distortion of time and Kurogasa grabs it to become Hyper Kabuto.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] Itsuka wakariaeru kara)** Kurogasa then grabs the Perfect ZECTer and he and Caucasus leap at each other, their attack causing a huge flash of light. When the light fades, we see Kurogasa, Koji, Rika, Brenner, Will, Lin, Isabella, Tasha, Gage, and Stauffenburg looking out into the sunset, the ZECTers with them as well before the song ends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Fear Experiment<p>

After Koji explained everything to me about how best to deal with my situation with Lin, we left the tent and found Dr. Morris, Capt. Brenner, Lt. Lin, Will, Deadeye, Rika, and Dr. Stauffenburg all sitting about in the conference room talking.

"Before all this, I worked as a medical researcher. My days were spent running small rats through large mazes." Dr. Morris began. "When the world was destroyed, I dug out of my ruined lab and made my way here. There were so many sick and injured people… I just did what I could. And I didn't even run them through a maze! Oh ho! Oh ho ho ho ho ho,"

And yet his jokes are still terrible as evident in the silence from everyone…

"Laughter is good for you, you know. You should try it sometime." Dr. Morris said.

"Um… Heh…?" Will tried, but failed.

Stevens rolled his eyes as he sat back in his chair, putting his feet up on the conference table. "I'm sure it is good for us, but that doesn't do us much good if we _can't_ laugh."

"You know Dr. Morris, you remind me a bit of Captain Brenner." Will said. "I was near death when he found me. He saved my life. It's good that there are still people like you and him in this world."

"…Yes, but my sense of humor still works…" Brenner sighed.

"Well you shouldn't make me out to be some kind of hero, Will. I was a selfish man." Dr. Morris said. "I entered medicine to satisfy my curiosity, not help people. I'd never even seen a patient before the meteors struck. I guess such situations teach you what really matters, eh, Captain?"

"I know what you mean."

At that moment, I then said, "I agree with you guys. After all this with the meteor shower and becoming Kabuto, it's really put things in perspective for me as well."

Dr. Stauffenburg nodded in agreement. "Same here with me. Prior to this, I thought I was doing the right thing with ZECT, but you guys have shown me the better way of helping the world."

"But I fear we have other, more pressing issues to discuss." Dr. Morris said. "With your people and my people combined, we have several hundred mouths to feed. However, our supplies are running lower than a snake in a wheel rut!"

"A shortage of food is hardly a joking matter, Doctor." Brenner said.

"Huh? Did I make a joke?" Dr. Morris asked confused, before shaking his head. "Anyway, I think I know how to solve our little problem. But I will need your help…"

"How can we help?" Will questioned.

"Tell me, my boy, do you know why it is dinosaurs became extinct?"

Rika looked to Dr. Morris in confusion. "Why dinosaurs went extinct? …Are you talking about the meteor theory?"

"Oh ho, right you are!" Dr. Morris smiled. "The theory states a meteor struck the planet millions of years ago. The impact caused mega tsunamis upward of 300 feet in height to sweep the globe. The shock waves spawn earthquakes reaching 12.0 and 13.0 on the Richter scale. Pieces of the meteor ignited global wildfires, causing enormous devastation… Dinosaurs, without the benefit of fireproof surfboards, were ill equipped to survive."

"Fireproof surfboards? Whatever." Lin scoffed. "The point is, most dinosaurs perished. One day they ruled the world, and the next, they were a few pages in our history books."

"But _we_ survived our meteors." Will pointed out.

"So we did, so we did." Dr. Morris nodded. "Cockroaches aren't nature's only durable creature, are they? Three cheers for mankind and for much smaller meteors too, Ho ho!"

"Can we move this along, Doc? What is it you want to tell us?" Brenner sighed.

"Yes, of course. Meteors… dinosaurs… cockroaches… Oh yes! The clouds of ash! That's it." Dr. Morris remembered. "The ash blocks out the sun, which of course means that plant life withers and dies. Some may say the fate of the dinosaurs was sealed by similar sunlight–blocking clouds."

"So you're saying we're going to share their fate? Is that it?" Stevens asked.

"No need to panic." Dr. Morris assured. "Unlike the luckless dinosaurs, we possess knowledge and science. If we can get the automated crop factory running, we'll have as much grain as we want."

"Automated… what?" Koji asked.

"In other words, we get this crop factory working we can make food all we want and I'd have a field day cooking up a feast." I translated.

"And he couldn't have just said that?" Koji asked with a groan, rubbing his temples.

"He's a scientist. Whaddya expect…?" I deadpanned with a sweat drop."

"In any case," Dr. Morris interrupted. "We won't be able to sustain a population of millions, but we'll be able to feed all of us here. I trust that was clear enough. Oh, but there is one thing I worry about…"

"What's that, Dr. Morris?" Will asked.

"Hmm, I wonder…" Dr. Morris pondered. "Yes. Let me ask you a question, young man. Do you believe in evil… the kind that revels in the destruction of the world and of mankind with it… the kind of evil that thrives on the pain, suffering, and sorrow of innocents?"

Will looked at Morris like he had a million heads. "Uh… What are you talking about?"

"Sounds to me like he is talking about some kind of sadist," Koji said, eyeing the doctor with suspicious curiosity.

"Oh, I'm just thinking out loud. Pay me no mind at all." Dr. Morris laughed. "I've actually forgotten what it is I asked you, ho ho!"

We all looked at Dr. Morris in huge confusion.

* * *

><p>Once we finished learning about the automated crop factory from the doctor, we all went to go and gather our gear for the mission to the place. As we did, I noticed Lin and nervously wondered if I should go talk to her.<p>

"Penny for your thoughts, pal?" Koji asked as he approached.

"Huh?" I said a bit startled.

Chuckling, Koji wrapped his arm around my shoulder and asked, "You wondering about talking to her? Trying to patch things up from yesterday?"

"Am I really that obvious?" I sighed.

Koji nodded, "Even more than you think."

"Dang it…" I sighed again. "I don't know what to do man… I want to patch things up, but I don't know what to say."

Patting my back, Koji said, "Just say whatever is the first thing that comes to your head. You know how you feel now you just need to find the words for them."

"Easier said than done…"

*BAM!*

I grunted, "OOMF!" as Koji pushed me towards Lin.

"Good luck," he said with a smirk.

Dang it Koji… one of these days, I'm gonna… ooooooooooooooooooh… I looked to Lin and gulped, steeling myself before I approached her, "U–Uh, hey Lin, you got a minute?"

Lin gave me a confused look as she slung her gear pack on her back. "Um… Suuuuure…?"

I looked really uncomfortable as I rubbed the back of my head, "Um… about that conversation we had the other day about what happened at ZECT, I… uh… is there any way I can make it up to you?"

Her head tilted to the side as she looked even more confused, "Wha–What?"

I sighed and took a few deep breaths. Okay, let's try this again… "I… I'm sorry if I made you feel like I didn't respect you or was being overprotective when we escaped the ZECT base the other day. I honestly respect you a great deal, and if you'd let me, I would like the chance to make it up to you at some point…" Hmm… that didn't sound too bad.

"I… see…" Lin said as she thought about it for a while. "Hmm… well I suppose there's _one_ thing you could do."

"What's that?" I asked.

Lin looked to left and right before motioning me to come in closer so she could whisper in my ear. I did so and she whispered, "Don't tell anyone this, but… I have a thing for burger and fries. Cook up a really good burger and a batch of fries and we'll call it even."

I smiled. Koji, you _are_ a romantic genius. "You got it."

When I walked back towards him, Koji gave me a smug smirk. "So… how did it go?"

"Dude, I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but you are a genius," I chuckled.

My friend grinned as he overdramatically took a few bows. "Thank you, thank you. You're too kind, thank you." He then wrapped an arm around me saying, "So what did she say?"

I blushed slightly as I scratched my cheek and said, "She said if I cooked up a burger and fries for her, she'd call it even."

"See? I told you she has a thing for that!" Koji grinned widely.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you were right…" I waved off as I pushed away from him. "Now come on, don't we have a mission to prepare for?"

"Yeah, let's go." Koji nodded.

* * *

><p>So with that the civilians and Brenner's Wolves marched towards the automated crop factory with Dr. Morris leading the way. It was an hour drive from our current position and by the time we arrived, we saw the automated crop factory ahead of us. After we all got out of our vehicles, Brenner had some soldiers set up a perimeter, while Dr. Morris, Captain Brenner, and I along with a few escort soldiers went into the factory to check out the condition. I had to come along, because since I'm chef, I have to make sure that food this factory is gonna make is edible and cookable.<p>

The main unit of soldiers that came along was unsurprisingly, Koji's Tech Platoon. Being combat engineers, they were the best choice to work on the equipment. As Koji jokingly put it, "To know how to blow things up, we gotta know how to put them together, first!" Stevens then brought along a few of his men from Sniper Platoon to serve as the escorts inside the facility.

"Alright, we're here. Now where are the main controls?" I wondered, looking around.

Dr. Morris pointed down the hallway to his right. "If I remember correctly, it's down this way. Second door on the right is an emergency elevator. We take it up four floors and there it is."

"Works with me," Brenner said, going to the said door. He then looked to Koji and said, "Staff Sergeant, have the doctor show you to the generator for this place, make sure it's still up and running. If there's any damage to it, see what you can do about fixing it up."

"You got it boss." Koji said with a two-finger salute. "Doctor, if you please,"

The doctor nodded as he replied. "Of course, follow me."

As the two went off to another part of the factory, Brenner, Stevens, and I took the emergency elevator, going up four floors. We exited the elevator and entered the hallway leading to the control center. The place was pretty dark, only having a few red lights lighting the place. "…Anyone else feel like we're walking in a horror movie?" Stevens asked with a skeptical look.

"Stay on guard." Brenner said, pulling out his 9MM pistol with me pulling out my Kunai Gun.

Stevens had his BR55 battle rifle at the ready as well, him taking point with the other Sniper Platoon soldiers flanking us. "If you see anything moving in this place that isn't part of our unit, I recommend assuming it's hostile."

"Yes sir." The Sniper Platoon responded.

"Man, night vision goggles would be helpful right about now." I said.

Stevens smirked as he said, "That's the advantage of having 20/10 vision: natural night vision."

"Okay, what are you seeing right now?" I asked.

"Nothing right now," Stevens replied as we reached the door.

"Alright, everyone," Brenner said, looking to the whole group, "We don't know what's on the other side of this door. The moment we bust in the room, clear the room immediately to make sure we're safe."

"Yes sir." We all nodded.

The group then got into position as Brenner held the door handle, "Okay… 1… 2… 3!"

Brenner quickly opened the door and everyone moved in quickly inside.

"CLEAR!"

"CLEAR!"

"CLEAR!"

"And clear…"

The place was empty. No one was in the room except for us, and the only noises in the room, aside from our breathing at that point was the beeping of the consoles.

"Phew…" I sighed in relief. "That had me going for a minute."

"Keep your eyes open still," Brenner said as he lowered his gun. "We might be safe now, but that might change. Alright, you guys check the system of these consoles." Then, he grabbed his radio and said, "Tech Lead, what's your status in the generator room?"

[_"We're good to go sir! We're ready to fire this baby up!"_] Koji said from his end.

"Got it, good work, Sergeant Shinamori," Brenner complimented before looking over his shoulder. "Kurogasa, Sergeant Stevens, are we ready to fire this place up?"

"Ready," Stevens and I nodded.

Brenner nodded as he put his radio back on his belt. Approaching us, he said, "Guess now is when we see if this is what we hope it is." Taking a deep breath, he then pressed a button that seemed to be the primary control switch. Immediately, lights began to flicker on as the sounds of gears, cogs, and machinery all starting up began to be heard throughout the factory.

"Alright, it's up and running," Stevens nodded.

"Yeah…" I said as the control room lights on the ceiling flickered on, and when it did, I looked to the corner and saw… two dead bodies?! I yelled in surprise, "AHHHHH!"

Everyone jumped, most of the Sniper Platoon soldiers raising their rifles immediately, "What, What!?" Deadeye shouted as he looked in my direction.

"Two corpses…?" Brenner asked in a stunned whisper as he approached. "What the heck happened here?"

Frankly, I was too busy panting and trying to calm my nerves down.

"Look," one of the soldiers said, pointing to one of the corpses, holding a sort of tape recorder.

Stevens grabbed the tape and showed it to Brenner. "Shall we see if dead men truly tell no tales, Captain?"

"Play it," Brenner said. Stevens nodded and pressed the play button.

[_*BZZZZT, BZZZZT, BZZZZT* It's been *BZZZZT* days since the meteors hit. I'm surprised this automated crop factory is still working."_] The voice in the recording said.

"So the factory was still working after the meteor shower," I mused as we watched the tape. "If the meteors didn't take it down, though, what caused it to shut down?"

[_*BZZZZT* "Hopefully, we can keep this factory up and running for a while longer at least until help arrives, but I don't how long that's going to– *BANG! BANG!* "What was that?!" *BANG!* "W–What the– What _are_ you?! NO! NO! Get away from me! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH– *BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT*_]

Everyone moved a little closer to the screen, all their eyes locked on the screen. "Can anyone see what killed him?" Brenner asked frantically.

"No, the feed's too damaged." Stevens shook his head.

"Great…" Brenner sighed. Looking to me, he then asked, "What do you think? Do you think it might have been a Worm?"

"Possibly," I said. "The Worms _did_ come to Earth via meteors after all."

Stevens scratched the side of his head in thought. "Any chance it could have been marauders like the Beast?"

"That's possible too." Brenner pondered. "But given that recording, I don't think it was."

"There's the chance that whatever did this might still be here," I then said in sudden and fearful realization.

Brenner's eyes widened as he realized I could be right. "We need to contact Tech Platoon and let them know to be on the lookout."

"I'm on it." Stevens said before putting his radio close to his mouth, "Tech Platoon, this is Sniper Platoon Leader, be on alert. We have a possible hostile in the area. It's most likely a Worm. I repeat, be on alert. We have a possible hostile in the area. It's most likely a Worm."

[_"Sniper Leader, this is Tech Leader,"_] Koji replied, [_"Acknowledged previous message. We will– "*BZZZZT!*_]

"Tech Leader, repeat. Come in Tech Leader!" Stevens said, but it was no use. "Great… we're cut off."

That got me worried. "If there's a Worm out there, we should regroup with Koji's men and then go look for it."

"Then let's get going." Brenner nodded before he, the entire group and I left the control room.

* * *

><p><em>Unbeknownst to the group, after leaving, one of the corpses… suddenly moved and stood up, and… it changed into a Salis Worm! Looking around, the Worm grumbled before hoping through a hole in the window to the lower level of the factory.<em>

* * *

><p>Koji and Tech Platoon were busy repairing some of the extra equipment in the generator room when we arrived. "Hey, guys," Koji said with a wave as his men worked. "What are you guys doing down here?"<p>

"Well…" I began. "We got the controls up and running, but…"

"But what…?" Koji asked, glancing at me, Brenner, and Stevens. "Is something going on here?"

"We found two dead bodies in the control room." Brenner said.

"What?" Koji gasped.

"And here's proof of that." Stevens said handing Koji the recorder.

Confused, Koji said after watching, "What happened? What killed them?"

"It's possible that Worm is around here." Brenner said. "That's why Stevens radioed you the warning, before we got cut off."

"Speaking of which," I said in deep thought, "Do we know WHAT cut off the transmission?"

"I'm not sure." Stevens shook his head.

"Oh no," The three ZECTers then suddenly shouted.

"What? What is it?!" I asked frantically.

Kabuto looked to me as he said worriedly, "We're detecting a Worm in the facility!"

"Are you serious?!" Koji asked shocked.

Just then, Brenner's radio suddenly turned on. [_"Captain Brenner, this is Lin, do you read?"_] Lin's voice said.

Grabbing his radio, Brenner raised it to his mouth as he said, "Brenner here. What's your sitrep, Lieutenant?"

[_"We have unidentified units in the field, sir. They're ignoring all communications and are advancing towards our position."_]

That wasn't good. Brenner, clearly becoming apprehensive, asked, "You think it's our old friend, the Beast?"

[_"No, it's not the Beast. We're looking at a possible new faction."_]

All of us were certainly surprised by that. "Any chance it could be ZECT?"

[_"No, not even ZECT."_]

"Then who the heck is it?!" I asked incredulously.

[_"That's just it,"_] Lin replied in frustration, [_"We don't know. We're still trying to figure that out."_]

Well that's just great, we got an entirely new faction we don't about, plus we got the Worm in the facility.

"What do we do Captain?" Stevens asked.

Brenner was silent for a few moments before saying, "Sergeant Shinamori, we have this place up and running, yes?"

"Yes, sir," Koji said with a nod.

"Alright, we'll leave a few men here to protect the generator. I'll take the rest of the men to go support Lin. Kurogasa, Sergeant Stevens, you two go find that Worm."

"Yes sir." I nodded.

"You got it boss." Stevens said. "Drake, let's go."

With a flip in the air, Drake landed on Stevens' shoulder as he said, "Right-o! Let's do it!"

"You heard Drake, let's do it Kabuto!" I said.

Kabuto wagged his horn before landing in my free hand, "Right with you, aibou!"

"Alright then, let's go. Koji, TheBee you're with me." Brenner said before leaving the area.

"Wait up!" TheBee called out, before following him.

"Right behind you, Captain," Koji confirmed. He then shot me a nod as he ran after Brenner.

"Okay, time to find us a Worm to squash." I said to myself.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile Will and Lin were at the field, looking at the unknown enemy from afar with Lin looking on with her binoculars. "No sign of them making any moves yet." Lin said.<em>

_"How many enemies are we talking here?" Will asked._

_"A fair amount," Lin said as she pulled her binoculars down. "I still don't get why they're just waiting there."_

_"Report, Lieutenant." Brenner stated as he arrived with Koji and the majority of Tech and Sniper Platoons._

_Lin frowned thoughtfully as she said, "Hard to say, sir. There'43 about three to four platoons of soldiers out there, but the weird thing is that they're just… standing there."_

_"They're just standing there?" Brenner asked confused._

_Lin and Will both nodded, "Basically. It seems like they're observing us, though. Why, I don't know."_

_"Hmmmmm…" Brenner pondered._

_"What do we do Captain?" Koji asked._

_Brenner was silent as he thought about it. Looking back to the other force, he said, "For now, nothing. I don't want to risk starting a fight with someone unnecessarily."_

_"Are you sure?" Lin asked._

_"I'm positive. Do not fire at them unless told otherwise." Brenner said._

_The lieutenant looked concerned for a moment before nodding, "Alright, sir, and if they fire on us first?"_

_"Then we'll consider them as hostile and we fire back." Brenner said._

_"I think that sounds fair," Will replied as he looked out._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile… on the unknown enemy's side…<em>

_Leading the soldiers were four people. One of them, a young girl, giggled excitedly as she said, "Tee hee hee! Is it okay, Daddy?"_

_"Of course, little one," A man said. This was the same man that observed Kabuto's fight with the Worm. "Play to your heart's desire. Do remember to record the battle, though. I must know how each soldier fights… and how each one dies."_

_The next one, this one a young man, sighed as he said, frustratingly, "Father, I cannot condone this. I can see no reason for us to attack these people. It is meaningless–"_

_The man looked at the teenaged boy with a raised eyebrow, "Meaningless? Whatever are you babbling about? Is there a more meaningless expenditure of energy than life itself? I think not!"_

_Happily, the young girl bounced up and down, holding her teddy bear as she shouted, "Get'em! Get'em! Boom! Tee hee!"_

* * *

><p>"Ugh… no sign of that Worm anywhere." I groaned.<p>

Stevens just grunted as he said, "Relax, kid. One thing I learned from my time as a sniper is that sometimes, you have to be patient to find your target."

"I guess…" I sighed as we kept looking around. It was silent for a while before…

"So kid… about Lieutenant Lin…" Stevens snickered.

"Ugh… we're gonna go through this again?" I said in dismay.

Stevens chuckled as he looked to me with a grin and asked, "How'd you come to 'target' her?"

"You're really not gonna let this go are ya…" I deadpanned.

The sniper said, "You're just gonna keep avoiding this, aren't you?"

Dang it, you're not playing fair! With a grunt I relented saying, "Fine, if I tell you, you need to keep your mouth shut, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Stevens waved off.

I looked away, my cheeks red as I said, "Okay… I… _might_ be… kinda… sorta… interested in Lieutenant Lin… a bit…"

"What's that? I can't hear you." Stevens teased.

"Ergh…" I grumbled at him. "Don't push it, Stevens…"

"Come on, I wanna hear it." Stevens said, ignoring me.

Growling, I clenched my fists tightly as I said, "Okay, yes… I like Lin. Happy now?"

"What's that? Your voice is too soft."

"DANG IT, I LIKE LIEUTENANT LIN!" I yelled.

*GRRRRR!*

Stevens and I stopped immediately as we heard that.

"Did you hear that?" Stevens asked seriously.

"I sure did…" I frowned, "Kabuto!"

Kabuto chirped, "Rightey–o!" as he flew into my hand. I then looked to Stevens as I said, "By the way, if we make it out of here alive, I'm going to kill you. This is your fault, jerk."

"Oh c'mon, it wasn't that bad."

"Just transform," I said irritably.

"Sheesh, fine," Stevens said with a roll of his eyes, grabbing the Drake Grip. "Let's do it, Drake!"

"You got it Partner!" Drake said before Stevens raised the grip making the pulsing sound.

Once Drake attached himself to the grip and I slid Kabuto onto my belt, we shouted, "Henshin!"

**HENSHIN!**

The energy hexagons began forming over our bodies, becoming our Masked Form armors. When we were fully formed, we readied our blasters as we slowly moved down the hall, preparing ourselves for a surprise attack by the Worm we were expecting.

"Hey Stevens, is your natural night vision seeing anything?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No… Nothing yet… but it _is_ here. That I'm sure of."

I scoffed at him, "Some great tracker you are."

"Pfft, whatever Lieutenant Lin lover…"

"HEY!" I snapped.

*BAM!*

We looked ahead as a bunch of crates were suddenly knocked aside, revealing a Salis Worm. "See, you need to stop reacting to my jabs. You yell so loud and tip off the Worm," Stevens said with a snort.

"Oh shut up," I groaned before charging at the Salis Worm. Switching my weapon into Axe Mode, I slashed at it as Stevens shot at it from afar with his blaster. Sparks flew as the Salis Worm writhed in pain. I then switched to Dagger Mode, taking out the kunai out of the barrel and slashed the Salis Worm relentlessly.

Stevens' shots also continued to rain down on the immature Worm, causing more sparks to fly off of it. However, as we pushed our attack, I noticed a crack appearing in its skin, "Uh–oh! Stevens! It's starting to molt! We need to destroy it!"

"You don't need to tell me twice." Stevens said before pulling the switch on Drake. Parts of his armor spread out a bit as steam and electricity crackled before he said, "Cast Off!"

**CAST OFF!**

The excess armor shot out from his body to reveal his Rider Form.

**CHANGE: DRAGONFLY!**

"Aibou, let's do it, too!" Kabuto shouted to me.

"You got it!" I replied as I pulled up Kabuto's horn slightly, causing my armor to spread as steam and electricity poured out. "Cast Off!"

**CAST OFF!**

The armor pieces then ejected from my body as my horn flipped up between my lenses to complete my transformation into Rider Form.

**CHANGE: BEETLE!**

"Here comes the Worm!" Stevens shouted seeing the Worm has completely molted.

There was a bright flash of light before the matured Worm appeared. This one based on a lightning bug. It had an orange, yellow, and black exoskeleton with see–through wings, bulbous black eyes, a fit build, almost like that of a boxer's, two antennae on its head, and its hands appeared to be like the usual light bulb like behind lightning bugs had. Constantly around its hands and between its antennae, there was electricity flowing over and between them.

"A Lightning Bug Worm huh?" Stevens said.

It made weird noises before it went at the speed of light.

"Oh no, you don't!" I shouted, before hitting the Clock Up pad, "Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

"Wait for me!" Stevens shouted as he did the same. "Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

Both of us went to light speed and the Lightning Bug Worm growled at us, before rushing past me and towards Stevens. It delivered a flurry of electrical powered punches to him. Stevens dodged where he can and shoot back with energy bullets coming from Drake's eyes. The Worm, however, managed to knock aside the blasts, sending them into the walls before landing a fist to his face, sending a powerful wave of electricity through his body.

Stevens yelled in pain, "GRAHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Stevens," I shouted before running towards the Lightning Bug Worm.

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

I flipped Kabuto's horn to the original position before shouting, "Rider Kick!" and flipped the horn back completely.

**RIDER KICK!**

I leaped in the air and had my right foot out, crackling with electricity with my left foot tucked in, as I dived down for the kick. However, the Worm turned to me and absorbed the electricity from my attack with his antennae, channeling it into his hands before blasting it back at me!

I was sent flying while yelling in pain, "GAHHHHHHH!" before being knocked over into a bunch of empty crates.

**CLOCK OVER!**

"Kurogasa," Stevens shouted before just managing to dodge an electrical blast from the Worm.

"Ow…" I groaned. "That hurt…"

The two of them both came out of light speed, Stevens getting slammed into the wall next, sliding to the ground as the Worm gave a triumphant roar, slamming his chest like a gorilla.

"A Plan B would sound good right about now." I gritted, trying to stand back up.

"Ugh… No kidding…" Stevens grunted as he pushed himself to his feet. "Man, only my second Worm and I already feel like a freaking ragdoll."

"Get used to it," I said. "We're gonna be in for a long battle."

* * *

><p><em>Koji looked through the binoculars before handing them back to Lin. "I don't know LT. Something doesn't feel right about this. Why the hell are they just standing there?"<em>

_"I'm just as clueless as you are." Lin answered._

_"Well whatever the case, we don't open fire unless they fire first." Brenner said._

_Koji's eyes widened. "You mean like right now?"_

_"Huh?" Brenner asked confused before–_

_*RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!*_

_"RETURN FIRE!" Lin shouted as she grabbed her M-16._

_"Take 'em out!" Koji shouted as he lobbed a grenade at them._

_Brenner then attached his Rider Brace to his wrist, "TheBee!"_

_"You got it Cappy!" TheBee chirped happily before flying around him and attaching to the Rider Brace._

_Brenner than shouted, "Henshin!"_

**HENSHIN!**

_The energy hexagons formed around him, solidifying into his honeycomb style Masked Form. He grabbed his Baretta and began firing as well. "Let's go!" Brenner said before charging in towards the unknown soldiers._

_Koji followed along after with Tech Platoon. As he fired, he loaded a grenade into the grenade launcher attachment of his rifle and fired it, launching it through the air towards the unknown enemy, sending several of them flying. "Captain," he shouted over the fire, "You recognize these guys at all!?"_

_"No! I don't recognize any of them!" Brenner shouted back._

_"Whatever the case, they're now our enemies!" Lin shouted, after firing another shot from her M-16._

_"You're right!" Brenner said. "Looks I'm gonna have to make this quick!" He flipped TheBee's wing over the latter itself before green electricity crackled and steam out of the armor as it separated from Brenner a little bit. Turning TheBee over so that his stinger was facing outward, he shouted, "Cast Off!"_

**CAST OFF!**

_The bulky armor then separated, revealing his Rider Form._

**CHANGE: WASP!**

_Quickly, he then tapped the Clock Up pad on his side, "Clock Up!"_

**CLOCK UP!**

_Accelerating to faster–than–light, he rushed over and began to attack the unknown soldiers._

_Meanwhile, Will was armed with a 9MM pistol making sure to keep Isabella safe. "Just stay down, Isabella," Will said as he took shots to any soldiers who got too close, "I'll keep them away from you."_

_"Okay…" Isabella nodded._

_"Aw man, where are these guys coming from?" Will gritted as he shot another unknown soldier._

_Koji, hearing this in his headset, grunted as he took cover from several rounds fired at him before popping back up to shoot again. "I don't know… more to the point, why are they even attacking us at all?" He then had to leap behind a rock to avoid a grenade that had been thrown his way. Grunting, he pushed himself up as he said, "Dang… my injuries from the ZECT fight are still recovering."_

_"Can you handle it Shinamori?" Brenner asked. "If you can't handle it then fall back."_

_"Urgh… I'm good, Boss," Koji said as he got to his feet. "What doesn't kill me makes me deadlier to bad guys!" He then leveled his M–16 and fired off several more rounds before two of his soldiers came over and helped him set up a machine gun position._

_"Okay, if you say so." Brenner said. "Now let's finish cleaning house!"_

* * *

><p>Dang it, this Lightning Bug Worm is getting on my nerves!<p>

Stevens and I were gasping for breath as we struggled to stay on our feet, electricity from its last attack still crackling over our bodies. "Man, if we don't find a chink in this thing's defense soon, we're gonna either be pulverized or electrocuted to death… or both."

"If only we had something to insulate that electricity…" Stevens grunted.

Wait… Insulation…? …That's it! "Stevens, I think we do!"

"We do?" Stevens asked confused.

"Think about it! This is a factory for harvesting food and, presumably, storing it! There might be rubber we can use!"

"That's good and all but where's the rubber?"

That was a problem. "I don't know… we're gonna have to find it."

"Yeah, start looking for rubber while this thing tries to kill us. Great idea, Sun Tzu, great battle plan," Stevens replied sarcastically before we dodged another lightning blast.

"You got a better idea?!" I snapped.

Stevens grunted as he got off a few shots which were quickly deflected. "No…"

"Yeah, that's what I thought," I said.

"Well there's obviously no rubber around _here_!" Stevens said.

Crap… what do we do? Wait! Dr. Morris! He knows this factory like the back of his hand! He should know where we can find rubber! "You keep the Worm busy! I'll try to contact Dr. Morris!"

"Here!" Stevens said throwing his radio to me and I caught it. "Make it quick!"

"I got it!" I said before holding the radio close to my mouth. "Dr. Morris, can you hear me?! Come in Dr. Morris!"

[_"Um… Hello?"_] Dr. Morris's confused voice replied, [_"Kurogasa? Are you alright? You sound kind of… on edge."_]

"Look, we got a Worm that can shoot lightning! Do you know where there could be rubber in the factory?"

[_"Hmm, lightning powered Worm… rubber to stop the attacks. Good plan, good plan,"_] Morris replied with an approving tone in his voice.

"Oh c'mon Dr. Morris, where's the rubber?!" I snapped.

[_"Huh? Oh, oh, yes!"_] He went silent for a few moments, save a bit of thoughtful murmuring before I heard him snap on the other end and shout, "Ah ha!" Coming back on the line, he said, [_"It's very simple, my boy! Go to the maintenance room! There should be plenty of rubber in there that would be used for insulating the electrical systems in case of power surges!"_]

"Got it, where's the maintenance room?" I asked.

[_"It's on the second level, three sections down from where the control room would be,"_] he quickly replied.

"Thanks!" I said, before hanging up. "Hey Stevens, we're going to the maintenance room! Follow me!" I then hit the Clock Up pad.

**CLOCK UP!**

"Ugh…!" Stevens said as he was slammed into the wall again, "R–Right!" He then got a sneaky shot point blank on the Worm, forcing it to let go as he, Clocked Up.

**CLOCK UP!**

At light speed, he followed me and that caused the Lightning Bug Worm to follow us.

While we ran, the Worm constantly shot lightning at us with Stevens and me, constantly shooting behind us to try and keep it off us. "Geez, Kururugi, are _all_ the Worms you fight this annoying!?"

"You don't know the half of it," I answered.

Stevens groaned. "That's exactly what I _didn't_ want to hear…"

"Just shut up, suck it up, and keep moving!" I shouted back at him.

We continued running and shooting while the Lightning Bug Worm chased after until we arrived at the maintenance room, "This is it!" I said before I kicked the door down and both of us went in with the Worm following us.

**CLOCK OVER!**

The world went back to normal and the Lightning Bug Worm returned to normal speed too and it shot lightning at us, but we dodged to the side and the lightning hit the rubber–like wall of the maintenance room.

"Ha! Not so easy now with all this rubber, is it!?" I tauntingly shouted before shooting at it with Kunai Gun. Stevens shot at it too making the Worm stumble even more as sparks flew off its body. Then it tried to shoot lightning at us again, but we dodged again and it hit the rubber wall.

"Let's finish this!" Stevens said before he folded up Drake's wings and pulled it back before pulling Drake's switch again, "Rider Shooting!"

**RIDER SHOOTING!**

"Hey don't leave me out!" I said before pressing the buttons on Kabuto's feet.

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

I then raised his horn slightly, letting the energy build in my leg, "Rider Kick!"

**RIDER KICK!**

A large blue orb of energy formed near Drake's eyes before Stevens aimed and shot his shot, and the blue orb went towards the Lightning Bug Worm before it hits its target, stunning it. It stumbled towards me and I did a 360 roundhouse kick to its head before it exploded into orange flames.

"Phew!" I shouted when the Worm was finally gone, sliding down the wall to rest. "That was arguably the strongest Worm I've fought yet."

"No kidding…" Stevens said before Kabuto slid off my belt and Drake got out of the grip and both of us went back to civilian form. "That thing didn't know when to quit, did it?" He asked as he sat on a crate. "…But I gotta admit… That _was_ a good call with the rubber."

"I told ya." I chuckled.

"Yeah, we kicked that Worm's butt big time!" Kabuto chirped.

"Aww yeah, buddy!" Drake replied, flying over to Kabuto to tap his tail against the beetle's horn like a high five.

"Anyways, we better check on Koji and the others." I suggested.

Nodding, Stevens got to his feet and said, "Right. Let's roll."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on the enemies' side, the strange man chuckled, eerily in delight and interest, as his small robots were watching Kabuto, TheBee, and Drake fighting, "How very interesting…" He said.<em>

_The young man with him watched the footage as well as he said, "Father… these… Kamen Riders… do you see a potential opportunity in them?"_

_The man chuckled as he said, "Indeed, my son. The power they possess is… fascinating. I see much usefulness in the ZECTers they possess."_

_"Do you… plan to take them for yourself?" The young teenaged man asked._

_"No… no, no, no… I intend to make my own." The man chuckled. "I must gather more data of these ZECTers."_

_"Oh no, those meanies smashed my toys!" The girl with the teddy bear pouted, seeing the last of the soldiers down and out._

_The man playfully pouted back as he said, "What's wrong, pumpkin? Did those bad people blow up all your toys? I suppose you'll be, wanting more. Well, what's the magic word?"_

_"PLEEEEEEEEEEASE?!" The girl asked. Leaping excitedly, she clapped her hands repeatedly and said, "I wanna big BOOOOOM!"_

_The man laughed as he patted her head and said, "How could I deny such a well–mannered little girl? I look forward to seeing how they respond to the world's mightiest tank. This should prove to be most enlightening."_

* * *

><p>After a while of running, Stevens and I along with our ZECTers met up with Koji and the others.<p>

"Koji, what's the situation?" I said as I came over to him, sitting on a rock with several of his men.

"We were attacked by an unknown enemy," he explained, "But thanks to Captain Brenner as Kamen Rider TheBee and our forces out here, we managed to push them back for now."

"What about you?" Koji asked.

"Stevens and I found the Worm lurking around the factory." I explained. "It was a Lightning Bug Worm that shot out lightning, but we managed to take it out."

Stevens shuddered as he said, "Yeah, but not before getting electrocuted a few times."

"Who were those soldiers anyway?" I asked. "Were you able to ID them Captain?"

Brenner shook his head as he detransformed. "Negative. We got _nothing_. These guys just came out of nowhere and attacked us without provocation."

Just then the radio and we heard Rika's voice through it as she screamed out, [_"GUYS! WE GOT TROUBLE! THERE'S A HUGE TANK COMING TOWARDS US!"_]

We all shouted back, "A huge tank?!"

Brenner looked to Lin as he said, excitedly and frantically, "Bring us to speed, Lin! What do you have on that monster?"

"WHOA! LOOK AT THAT!" Will shouted, pointing at a direction. We looked and– HOLY SMOKES, THAT'S A HUGE TANK!

The tank was least three times the size of any of our main battle tanks, painted in desert camouflage. Aside from its extremely long main cannon, it had two machine guns on each side of it, three smaller cannons, and two small missile launchers on the top.

"What in the–" Koji said shocked.

"We're screwed…" Stevens muttered.

"Lovin' the confidence there, buddy," Koji sarcastically replied.

Just then, to our surprise, Isabella came out from where she was hiding with Will and was looking intently at the tank. "That is a… War Tank…"

"Huh?" Everyone asked surprised and confused.

"You know what that thing is?" Will asked surprised.

Isabella nodded grimly as she answered, "Compared with standard tanks, it has vastly superior armor and firepower. It is currently the most powerful ground unit in the world today."

"And how are we supposed to stand against it? It's too darn big!" Dr. Morris stated fearfully, pacing slightly.

Scared and disappointed, Isabella simply said, "…I don't know."

Brenner closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "…Well, we have one of the best units in the Rubinelle Army and three Kamen Riders. We'll think of something."

"Seriously, where's an Anti–Tank when you need one?" Lin muttered.

"Huh?" I asked confused, "An Anti–Tank?"

Lin first looked surprised that I heard her. However, she quickly recovered her composure before explaining. "An Anti–Tank is a tank or other weapon specifically designed for destroying enemy armored units like main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers."

"And you think an Anti–Tank unit can take down this War Tank?" Brenner asked.

Lin sighed as she said, "I don't know of any that were designed to take down a tank like that one, but perhaps, if overwhelmed with enough firepower from one or several of them, it could be destroyed like any other main battle tank."

"But where can we find one though?" Will asked looking around. "I don't see anything housing one anyw–

*BOOOOM!*

"INCOMING!" I yelled, seeing a huge tank bullet coming towards us fast.

Brenner shouted "TAKE COVER!" as everyone dropped to the ground.

The huge round fired from the cannon impacted several feet behind us, sending several of our soldiers into the air, killing several of them.

"Dang, that some firepower," Stevens gritted.

"No kidding," Koji replied. Peaking up briefly as the cannon reloaded, he said, "Captain, Tech Platoon could probably take that thing out if we had the right equipment, like some of that anti-tank weaponry Lt. Lin mentioned."

"Ah! I remember!" Dr. Morris exclaimed. "Not far from here is a military factory that contains Anti-Tank units!"

"You just remembered this now!?" I shouted in exasperation. However, I quickly had to hit the deck again as the cannon fired again causing another explosion that was followed by the screams of more of our soldiers.

"Shinamori, you and Tech Platoon get those Anti–Tank units here ASAP!" Brenner ordered. "Dr. Morris, show them the factory!"

"Yes sir!" Koji replied with a quick salute before activating his radio. "Tech Platoon, this is Tech Leader! We got anti–tank units to build!" Then, looking to Dr. Morris, he said, "Doctor, show us the way!"

"Right away," Dr. Morris said before taking the lead with Koji following.

"In the meantime, us Kamen Riders will hold off the War Tank until they get back." Brenner said.

"We're doing it all by ourselves?!" I asked incredulously.

"We can Clock Up remember?" Stevens reminded. "We can use the light speed to our advantage and at least possibly disable it before Koji comes back and blasts it to kingdom come."

"Yeah, true…" I said, scratching the back of my head sheepishly, "But still… this won't be easy. After all, our Clock Ups don't last forever."

"Then we'll have to make every minute count. TheBee, let's do it!" Brenner replied as he held up his wrist with the Rider Brace on it.

"You got it Cappy!" TheBee chirped before attaching to the brace.

"Drake, let's go!" Stevens said holding the grip.

"Say no more," Drake said before attaching to the grip.

"Let's take out that tank Kabuto!" I said.

"Right aibou," Kabuto chirped, before he flew into my hand and I slid onto the belt.

The three of us then shouted, "Henshin!"

**HENSHIN!**

The energy hexagons then molded over our bodies before turning into the armor of our Masked Forms. However, we did not stay in these forms for long as we quickly went to change forms, our armors opening and steaming, "Cast Off!"

**CAST OFF!**

The armors dispersed in all directions to reveal our Rider Forms.

**CHANGE: BEETLE/WASP/DRAGONFLY!**

"Now let's see what we can do," Brenner said.

Just as another blast went off, we all tapped our Clock Up pads, "Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

The world slowed down as we saw the huge tank bullet in slow motion as well. "Alright, I better destroy that tank bullet."

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

I flipped Kabuto's horn to his original position to charge up before shouting, "Rider Kick!" and flipping the horn back.

**RIDER KICK!**

I did my usual roundhouse kick, only this time I leapt into the air and did a flying roundhouse kick to destroy the bullet. But man, that was a hard one! Landing on the ground, I stumbled as I wrapped my hands around my right leg. Wincing, I said, "Dang… even with my armor on, that was painful."

Meanwhile, facing the tank itself, Brenner looked to Stevens as he said, "Let's see what kind of a dent we can put in this thing," Stevens said as he pressed the button on TheBee.

"You got it, Boss," Stevens replied as he pulled the tab at the end of the Drake Grip.

**RIDER STING/SHOOTING!**

Green and blue electricity crackled as a blue orb of energy formed near Drake's and TheBee's stinger was powering up.

First, the blast from Drake hit the side of the tank, exploding against it as a cloud of black smoke appeared. Before it passed, Brenner immediately followed up with his punch, slamming his fist into the same spot. However, when he did, he leapt back and shook his hand, pain shooting through it, "Geez! What's this thing made of: diamonds!?"

When the smoke passed, however, much to Brenner and Stevens' shock, the only damage were, some scorch markings and a barely noticeable dent.

"NO WAY!" They shouted.

"There's not even a scratch!" I exclaimed.

**CLOCK OVER!**

When we returned to normal time, the explosion from the destroyed bullet occurred in midair, knocking me forward a bit. However, things quickly got worse for us. Noticing the three of us, the tank turned to us and aimed its smaller weapons, namely the two machine guns and three smaller cannons, at us. "Yabai…"

"Run for it!" Brenner yelled, and we did just that before.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

They shot at us, but we managed to somehow get away from the shots. C'mon Koji, get us out of this mess!

* * *

><p><em>"C'mon people, let's move it!" Koji yelled. "Get these Anti–Tanks up and running!"<em>

_The soldiers in Koji's platoon had been hard at work assembling the anti–tank weapons the factory had. Of course, that was only doable _after_ Isabella somehow knew _exactly_ how to program the software required to, start assembly on the gear._

_"It stills amazes me how you knew to get the factory working." Dr. Morris said impressed by Isabella. "How did you do it?"_

_"I… don't know…" Isabella shook her head._

_Koji smiled at her as he put his hand on her shoulder approvingly and said, "Well, all I can say, sweetheart, is that we're glad you did. This may save our soldiers dealing with that War Tank."_

_Just then, Koji's deputy, Sergeant Rusk ran up to him. "Staff Sergeant, we've completed assembly of the anti–tank weapons. It's not a lot of them, but I think it's enough to take that thing down, sir."_

_"Good work, Sergeant," Koji said, patting Rusk on the arm. "Alright men, let's move out! We gotta get back to Captain Brenner and the others!"_

* * *

><p>Dang it Koji, what's taking so long?!<p>

We three Riders were starting to run out of energy, constantly running about to avoid machine gun, mini–cannon, and missile fire, while the main cannon continued to fire upon our main forces. Quite frankly, we were on our last legs, completely pinned down by this tank–on–steroids.

"We can't last much longer…" Stevens panted. "At this rate we'll…"

"Shinamori will come back… I know he will…" Brenner panted too.

*BOOM!*

"GAH!" I cried out, as I was sent flying, thankfully the tank bullet missed me, but I tumbled down to the ground so hard that Kabuto slid off and I went back to civilian form.

"Kurogasa," Brenner shouted as he saw me get knocked out of Rider Form. Looking to Stevens, he shouted, "Sergeant, cover me! I'm going to bring him back to our side!"

"I got it!" Stevens said as he distracted the tank. Meanwhile, Brenner ran over to me.

"Hey, you alright kid?!" Brenner asked frantically.

"Ow…" I groaned.

Picking me up and grabbing Kabuto, the captain said, "Just hang on, son, I'm gonna get you out of here."

**CLOCK UP!**

With that, he went at the speed of light and he was fast to bring me over to Rika. Returning to normal speed, he placed me in front of her. "Doctor, he's hurt pretty badly."

"Oh no Kurogasa," Rika panicked, going over to us. "Nurses, get an operating table ready!"

"Yes ma'am!" One of the nurses said before running off.

"Take care of him." Brenner said handing me over to Rika before–

**CLOCK UP!**

–he sped away. And that was when I passed out.

* * *

><p><em>"Hehehehehehehehe… how interesting… very fascinating…" The man chuckled, seeing the video footage. "These ZECTers are quite impressive."<em>

_The young man stood beside his father as he said, "Father… How do you intend to create your own ZECTers?"_

_"It's quite simple, my boy." The man said. "We must find ZECT and steal their blueprints, and once I study that, along with using the data we gathered today, I can create the ultimate ZECTer."_

_The little girl then bounced up to her father and said excitedly, swinging her teddy bear about as she said, "And then we make them go boom–boom!?"_

_The man chuckled at that, "Yes dear, we make them go boom–boom."_

_The little girl cheered at that, "YAAAAAAAAY!"_

* * *

><p>Ugh… what happened?"<p>

Groaning, I blinked several times as I regained consciousness, finding myself on a hospital bed back at the main base area, "W–What?"

"Hey there Sleeping Beauty," A voice joked. I turned my head to see Lin sitting next to my bedside.

"L–Lin…?"

She nodded as she said, "After Captain Brenner brought you to Dr. Ryusaki, I led a small group of soldiers to escort you back to base so she could fix you up."

"Oh… what happened to that War Tank?" I asked.

"Blown to smithereens thanks to your buddy Shinamori and this Tech Platoon,"

"Heh… that's Koji for ya," I scoffed with a smirk.

"Also… there's something you gotta know about the factory…" Lin said grimly. "…It's been destroyed."

I gasped, "What?!" as I sat up fully, but then cringed in pain, "Ergh!"

Lin had a grim look as she said, "Yeah. In order to get the kill shot on the War Tank, unfortunately, Staff Sergeant Shinamori's only option was to get it to target the factory so he could get a clear shot."

"Oh…"

"But that's not the worst part…"

"It isn't?"

"No…" Lin said, looking away. "You see… one of the War Tank operators managed to survive and we took him hostage for interrogation. He wouldn't say anything, but after a while, he said that… their goal was…" She stopped at that.

"What? What is it?" I asked.

"He said… that their goal was to destroy the automated crop factory all along."

"Oh no…" I said in depression, sliding back onto the bed.

"Mhmm… Koji felt pretty bad about it, like he messed up. The captain and I told him it wasn't his fault," Lin explained, looking sad, "But he still beat himself up pretty nicely. Maybe you and Rika could try talking to him."

"I guess I could try… after I recover." I said. I got hit pretty hard from that War Tank." I then chuckled a bit, "It looks like you're gonna have to wait for your burger and fries."

Lin chuckled as she said, patting my hand, "Trust me… after what you did out there, I think you've earned a bit of a break. You may not be an official Rubinelle soldier, Kururugi, but you sure got the heart of one."

"Heh… thanks." I smiled a bit. "That means a lot coming from you."

She chuckled as she said, "Well, I'm glad you have such a high perception of my opinion." Then, she got up from her chair and playfully pinched my cheek. "Heal up quick, soldier. We need you back out there…" And with that, she turned to leave, leaving me a bit speechless.

* * *

><p><strong>Fen:<strong> And there you have it guys, another chapter of "Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin" down!

**SD:** Mhmm. We now see that, not only do Brenner's Wolves have to deal with the Beast's mercenary army and ZECT, but now this mysterious organization with an interest in the ZECTers and their only clear goal seems to be cause destruction and chaos.

**Fen:** That's right! So what will our heroes face next? Stay tuned to find out!

**SD:** And next time, we reveal another Kamen Rider to join the Rubinelle ranks!

**Fen:** Here's a hint for ya:

**CHANGE: SCORPION!**

**SD:** So until next time, gang, ja nee!


	7. Chapter 7: A Kind of Home

**Fen:** Yo! This is Fen and SD here to give you another chapter of Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin!

**SD:** And things are gonna start shaking up this chapter in the forms of new baddies and a new Rider. Ain't that right, aibou?

**Fen:** That's right and if you didn't hear it last time, here's the hint again!

**CHANGE: SCORPION!**

**SD:** That's right. And this chapter, we're about to find out who is destined to become that Kamen Rider. So let's get this chapter started!

**Both:** Henshin!

**HENSHIN!**

**Both:** Cast off!

**CAST OFF!**

**CHANGE: BEETLE/STAG BEETLE!**

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

><p>The next day had come by at our temporary base. I was in the sick bay tent with Rika and Lieutenant Lin and the former was checking out my condition. I mean after all, I was knocked around and sent flying from a shell of a War Tank <em>with<em> my armor on. And it seriously hurt.

"Jeez, Kurogasa," Rika said as she examined my torso, seeing bruises all across my chest and ribs, "Did you happen to catch the number of the bus that ran you over?"

"Ha–ha," I replied with a groan as she gently touched me, trying to find just how bad I was injured. "I was actually too busy trying not to get killed to notice."

"Uh–huh, I noticed." Rika rolled her eyes. "Well, by my prognosis, with these kinds of injuries, until you recover to full health, your Kamen Rider days are temporarily suspended."

"Well that's great…" I muttered.

Lin, seeing how frustrated that made me, tried to give me a smile as she comfortingly put her hand on my shoulder. "It'll be alright. Remember, we still have two other Riders here on the base."

Rika nodded in agreement as she filled up a hypodermic needle. "Yeah. They can handle things for now. In the meantime, this should help with the pain while I try and reset the cracked rib."

"That doesn't sound so reassuring when you put it that way," I sheepishly sweat dropped.

Rika gave me a dark look and grinned as she said, turning away, "Well, I suppose if you're going to be like that, I could just reset the rib _without_ the pain killers."

"Ok, ok, ok, ok, I get it! Give me the pain killers! Give me the pain killers!" I cried frantically.

Smiling triumphantly, Rika said, "I had a feeling you'd see things my way, Kurogasa." She then sanitized the injection site and injected me with the needle. It was an annoying pinch but nothing too painful. "Okay, now we just need to give that about ten minutes to kick in and I can see about resetting the rib so we can get it wrapped up."

Just then, Koji came walking in, dressed in his fatigues and with his gear. "Hey, aibou, how you feeling?"

"She's about to reset my ribs…" I groaned.

Smirking, Koji said, "Oh good, then I arrived just in time for the fun part."

Rika gave him a smirk though she tried to seem angry as she swatted him with a towel. "Be nice…"

Meanwhile, I grimaced at him as I said, "You're a jerk you know that?"

"You love me and you know it, buddy," he said teasingly as I rolled my eyes. Koji then looked to Lin and said, "Actually, I'm here to find you, LT. The captain wants us to check something out not far from the base."

"Oh?" Lin asked. "What is it?"

Koji's face then turned rather confused as he said, "It's, um… a field of flowers, actually."

"…Huh?" Lin asked confused.

"Eh?" Rika and I said, confused too.

"Yeah, I got the same reaction." Koji said. "Did I mention that Dr. Morris was freaking out about these flowers too for some reason?"

"What was the reason?" Lin asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Well," Koji began, scratching his head, "He mentioned something about one's age. Like, he got crazy with asking how old I was when I was over there."

Lin still appeared confused, but nodded. "Alright, Sergeant. Show me the way." She then looked to me and said with a friendly smile, "You feel better now, alright?"

"Yeah, okay," I smiled back. A~nd my body's going numb…

"Alright big boy, let's do this." Rika said before cracking her knuckles.

* * *

><p><strong>(Cue Theme D–Technolife by UVERworld)<strong>

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi yo)** The scenery is a barren wasteland, with a sky that blotted out the sun. The camera pans slowly to the right as Kurogasa, with his back facing the camera, looks at the barren wasteland on top of a cliff.  
><strong>(Kesenai kako mo seoiatteikou ikiru koto o nagedasanai de)<strong> The camera then suddenly changes to a close up of Kurogasa's face before it went around his head, the camera's view being blocked momentarily when it reached the back of his head and when the camera finally circles to the side of his face, it showed Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Kabuto, before panning out showing him in his full armor. Looking up at the sky, a ray of light suddenly burst through the clouds shining on Kabuto before the screen goes white.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] tsunaida kimi no te o)** The title Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin appears on the screen and just before the song enters the next phrase, the ZECTers flew, crawled, and hopped around the title from behind and jumped towards the screen before changing to the next scene.

**(Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana)** Koji sits on the edge of his bed, sadly looking at his guitar on one side, his rifle on the other, as Gatack flew up and lands on his shoulder.  
><strong>(Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara)<strong> Rika was in the medical wing of the base, sighing and wiping sweat off her brow as she tries to organize her medical supplies, Sasword crawling around on a table while Brenner, Lin, Isabella, and Will were discussing plans for their next move.

**(Hibiku~ boku wo yobu koe sae kare)** Kurogasa was cooking and Kabuto watched on his shoulder before Kurogasa noticed something from afar on the horizon.  
><strong>(Toki ni sou kaze ni kakikesaretatte)<strong> Drake and TheBee fly past him as we see what Kurogasa was looking out: a swarm of Salis Worms flanking Dr. Caulder with Admiral Greyfield, Waylon, showing up one end of the battlefield along with Tasha and Gage on another end and they sending out their troops alerting the 12th Platoon.

**(Kimi wo mitsu–ke–da–su)** Kurogasa grabs Kabuto and transforms into Kamen Rider Kabuto, before casting off his armor and charging towards Dr. Caulder.

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi mou)** Dr. Caulder snaps his fingers and Kamen Rider Punch and Kick Hopper appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Kabuto for an attack only for the latter to dodge before going to attack them.  
><strong>(Waraenai nante, hito kirai nante kotoba sou iwanaide)<strong> Koji transforms into Kamen Rider Gatack and leads the Tech Platoon with their heavy weapons attacking some of the Salis Worms as Brenner transforms into Kamen Rider TheBee and he, Lin, and Will attack the rest of the forces.  
><strong>(Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara)<strong> Rika and David "Deadeye" Stevens transforms into Kamen Rider Sasword and Kamen Rider Drake respectively and attack some of the Salis Worms.  
><strong>(Ima wa sono mama de ii, kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou [WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH])<strong> As Kurogasa battles Punch Hopper and Kick Hopper, Caulder surprisingly joins in and transforms into Kamen Rider Caucasus, going to punch Kurogasa, only for the latter to dodge and he and Caulder stared each other down.

**(You and Me, two have spoken.)** The Hyper ZECTer appears from the distortion of time and Kurogasa grabs it to become Hyper Kabuto.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] Itsuka wakariaeru kara)** Kurogasa then grabs the Perfect ZECTer and he and Caucasus leap at each other, their attack causing a huge flash of light. When the light fades, we see Kurogasa, Koji, Rika, Brenner, Will, Lin, Isabella, Tasha, Gage, and Stauffenburg looking out into the sunset, the ZECTers with them as well before the song ends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: A Kind of Home<p>

_Koji drove out in a jeep with Lin back to the field of flowers where Will, Isabella, Capt. Brenner, Dr. Stauffenberg, and Dr. Morris along with a few soldiers were standing already. Will, amazed at the sight of something so beautiful in the midst of the post-apocalyptic world, said, "Well, look at this…"_

_"Flowers. They're quite beautiful." Lin said as she and Koji approached the group. "But there's something odd about them…"_

_"Whatever you do, don't touch those flowers!" Dr. Morris panicked._

_"Dr. Morris?" Will blinked confused._

_"Pardon me, Lin, but I must ask you a personal question. Are you over twenty years of age?" The doctor asked._

_"…Maybe. I'm not as young as Isabella, but…" Lin then glared at him suspiciously. "Are you implying something, Doctor?"_

_Koji got between the two to try and defend Dr. Morris as he said, "Whoa, easy, ma'am. The doctor asked me the same thing. When I told him I was over 21, he felt better."_

_Dr. Morris nodded in agreement, making it clear he did not mean to offend Lin. "The staff sergeant is quite right, Lieutenant. And there's no need to glare at me so. It's quite unsettling! I only ask because these flowers have yet to infect anyone over the age of twenty, and…"_

_"Infect? What are you talking about?" Lin asked._

_That was when Dr. Morris showed a photo a boy with the same type of flowers and they were all over the boy. "Have you heard of Endoflorescens terrbilis virus? Its common name is Creeping Derangea."_

_"Oh. Look at that. How pretty." Lin commented._

_"This young man was about your age, Will." Dr. Morris grimaced._

_"…He _was_ my age?" Will blinked._

_"The flowers aren't decorative. They're the result of a parasitic virus. And there is nothing beautiful about them, Lin. This boy is dead."_

_A stunned and disgusted look came to Lin's face. "Wait, so the flowers… came out of his body?"_

_"Trust me, I was just as sickened as you are when he showed me," Koji noted, a sickened scowl on his face._

_Sighing, Dr. Morris put the picture away and nodded. "It acts like a parasite, but it spreads like a virus. I don't claim to know how it works, I just know that it does. Since the meteors fell, I've buried many victims of this scourge."_

_Lin took a closer examination of the photo. "He had roots and leaves growing under his skin… In his ears… In his eyes… Little roots creeping behind the eyes…" She said disgusted. "…What if you could hear them…?"_

_"Lin, please! Stop talking about it!" Dr. Morris panicked again before calming down to regain his composure. "Curiously, the virus seems to only infect young people." He then turned to Will. "You're in the right age range, Will, which means you're at risk. If you meet anyone suffering from this, you must stay away! Is that clear?"_

_"Oh yeah. It's clear…" Will gulped._

* * *

><p>Ow… feeling the after effects of resetting the ribs is not fun.<p>

Rika was busy finishing up wrapping my chest up with bandages to keep my ribs in place after she reset them. "And… one more… time around… and… done!" She smiled. Going over to her cabinet, she then grabbed something out of there before coming back to me. "Now then, because you were such a good little patient, here is a special treat: a lollipop!" Giggling, she then kissed my forehead and said, "Plus a kiss to make the, boo–boo not hurt anymore."

"Thanks…" I groaned a bit. "So how long am I out of commission?"

Rika sighed as she looked at me, and I could tell right away that she had bad news. "Honestly, Kurogasa… looking at how badly your ribs got busted up, it could be a few weeks before I think you're fit for combat duty again."

"A few weeks?!" I said surprised, but then gritted in pain, holding my chest, "Ergh!"

"Hey take it easy!" Rika scolded, keeping me steady and laying me back down.

"Sorry…" I apologized. "But seriously, a few weeks?"

"If you wanna get healed up, you gotta rest." Rika crossed her arms. "I'm not saying to do nothing for a few weeks. I mean you can still cook for the troops, just go easy with the movements."

I sighed heavily at this, "I guess so…"

Her face then turned sympathetic as she took my hand. "I know you want to be out there fighting as Kabuto, but if you go back out there before you're ready, you could die, Kurogasa. And if that happened…" She paused as she fought back tears. "…We've all lost people we love, including me. I don't want one of my two best friends to be on the list, too."

I sighed again before saying, "Alright, I get it already, I'll relax."

"Thank you…" Rika smiled before kissing my forehead again.

"Starvation, raiders, and flowers that kill you. Gotta love this place."

Huh?

Rika and I turned to see Koji and the others returning back.

"Well, it looks like Rika got you nice and patched up, Kurogasa," Koji smiled as he came over to me.

"How you feelin', kid?" Brenner asked, TheBee sitting on his shoulder.

"Sore at the moment. Out of commission for a few weeks though." I said.

"I see. It's that bad huh?" Brenner nodded.

"Yeah."

"Hey no worries!" Kabuto chirped as he flew in and landed on my shoulder. "You'll be up and at it in no time!"

Chuckling, I looked up at my ZECTer and said, "I appreciate the vote of confidence, little buddy."

"No problem, Kuro!" Kabuto chirped happily.

Stevens, though, sighed as Drake flew near his head. "Still… we're down one less Rider. I mean, you guys were able to get by with two Riders before, but still…"

"It'd be nice having all three of us in action again," Brenner completed, knowing where Deadeye was going.

Curious, Koji looked to Stauffenburg and asked, "Hey, Doc, have you found any sign of the last two ZECTers?"

"Hmmmmmmmm…" Stauffenburg said looking at his tablet. "I don't see any– Ah!"

"What is it?" Koji asked.

"There's one! It's–"

Before he could say anything else, a small hole popped out from the ground and a… mechanical purple scorpion came out? "Gah, finally! I thought I'd _never_ get out of that dirt! I've been digging far away from those ZECT whippersnappers for who knows how long."

"SASWORD!?" Stauffenburg gasped as he saw the scorpion.

Looking up when he heard the voice, Sasword, as the scorpion ZECTer was apparently called, groaned as he said, "Oh no… You! I thought I had escaped you before, you dang troublemaker!" He then turned to try and scurry back into the dirt hole he dug up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa Sasword hold up!" Kabuto called out.

Sasword paused when he heard the voice, crawling out of the hole. "Kabuto…? Is that you, boy–o?"

"It's me, alright!" Kabuto replied excitedly.

"Heya gramps!" TheBee chirped.

"Stop calling me that TheBee!" Sasword snapped jumping up and down. "I oughta sting ya for disrespecting your elders!"

"Well then it's a good thing I can fly!" TheBee said smugly.

"Why you little–!"

"Hey, Sasword!" Drake said, flying between the scorpion and bee ZECTers.

"Eh, Drake? You're here, too?" Sasword asked, temporarily forgetting about his desire to teach TheBee a lesson. "So, is the littlest ZECTer here, too? Gatack with you guys?"

"No, haven't seen him." Drake said. "We've been looking everywhere while traveling, but no sign."

"Hm. I see." Sasword said.

"Still, it's great to see you!" Kabuto said. "And you can trust the humans here, they're cool!"

Drake nodded as he flew back to Deadeye, landing on his shoulder. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, we've partnered up with several of them!"

Sasword murmured suspiciously as he said, "Then why is Doctor Snippy–Pants here? After all, he's the one we was trying to escape from."

"Who are you calling Snippy Pants?!" Dr. Stauffenburg snapped.

"Oh no worries, he defected from ZECT," TheBee said.

Sasword ignored Stauffenburg's retort as he said, "Alright… if you whippersnappers say we can trust him, I suppose I can go along with it."

Rolling over slightly, trying not to do it too much, though, I looked down at Sasword and said, "Well, I suppose we should introduce ourselves to you. I'm Kurogasa Kururugi, Kabuto's partner."

"I'm Capt. Brenner of Brenner's Wolves and I'm TheBee's partner."

"Name's Koji Shinamori."

"I'm Will."

"I'm… Isabella."

"Lieutenant Lin."

"And I'm Rika Ryusaki! Nice to meet you!"

Deadeye then said, "Name's Stevens, David Stevens. Call me 'Deadeye.'"

"And I'm Dr. Morris. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Sasword nodded to all of them as he said, "Pleasure's all mine, youngins'. As I said, the name's Sasword."

"Sasword," Dr. Stauffenburg explained, "Is the melee–combat specialist of the ZECTers. He was designed primarily around close range combat with bladed weaponry, primarily a sword, as his name suggests."

Nodding, Lin said, "So, Sasword completes the trinity of the three main types of fighting: he does melee, TheBee handles unarmed combat, and Drake is a shooter."

"But then," Koji pondered, "What about Kabuto and that other one, Gatack?"

"Well," Stauffenburg continued as he started to pace, "Kabuto was the prototype ZECTer, the one we used as a test bed for what would become TheBee, Drake, and Sasword. Primarily an unarmed combatant like TheBee, we built him external components like the KunaiAx Gun to test the weapon systems that we would use in Drake and Sasword. He was intentionally left with open space so that we could perform further tests, adding on to him as we went along." He paused briefly as he leaned against one of the counters. "Gatack was the most advanced unit of the five. After testing the capabilities of the other three, we took the results, optimized them, and developed them into one unit capable of all three types of combat without the aid of any external modules."

"Interesting," Lin pondered.

"But in any case, we have more pressing matters." Brenner said. "We've hit a snag in our supply–procurement plan. Got any suggestions what we do now, Dr. Morris?"

"Oh ho! Yes… um…" Dr. Morris began but then said, "No. No, I don't. We're in trouble, no doubt about it."

"Are there any other factories with the systems we need?" Lin asked annoyed.

"No, not to my knowledge."

"Sir," Will said as he looked to Capt. Brenner.

"What's up, Will?"

Will suddenly seemed to shy, almost as if he regretted speaking up before saying, "Well… if there's nothing left in this area, our best bet may be to move to a new area."

"Yeah, but where?" Stevens asked.

"Automated… crop factories?" Isabella asked making everyone turn to her.

"Do you know something, Isabella?" Will asked.

"Yes… I do."

"What is it?"

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, an army of soldiers were in formation along with some tanks, jeeps, and even some fighter jets and bomber planes at the ready. A single woman was at the front giving them a rally speech.<em>

_The woman had bright orange hair in a style similar to that of Crow Hogan from Yu–Gi–Oh! 5D's with two small braids on the sides of her face, a gray bandana with goggle on top of them, a yellow neck scarf, fair skin, brown eyes, a gray tank top, black gloves that went halfway up her upper arms, gray short–shorts with her gear belt attached, and gray boots that went halfway up her thighs. Her name was Tasha. "Troopers, a great day for us is coming! The time has come for Lazuria to rise from the ashes of destruction and return to glory!"_

_"YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" The soldiers cheered._

_"We managed to survive these meteors and it made us stronger! We're gonna show those Rubinelle ruffians how powerful the Lazurian Army is!"_

_"HUZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The soldiers shouted again._

_Smiling down at her soldiers, she said, "Everyone, you've made me proud with how you managed to get by through all this. Today, we march to victory! Now, move out!"_

_"HOO–RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" They shouted and they all got to their vehicles to move out. However, one of the soldiers as he was going back to one of the jeeps chuckled to himself._

_"Hmhmhmhmhm, foolish creatures. They do not know what lies in store for them." The soldier chuckled._

_Looking around suspiciously, he ducked into a corner and transformed into the form of a Worm. This one appeared to be a green humanoid mantis, almost looking as if he was a ninja. With bulbous red eyes, long scythes extending from his wrists right above his hands, and a slender body, the assassin–like monster chuckled again as he brought his blades against one another. _**"Time to hunt for some new hosts for my brethren."**

* * *

><p>"You are sure about this?" Brenner asked in disbelief.<p>

"Yes." Isabella answered.

Deadeye looked at Isabella suspiciously as he asked, "How do you know this, Isabella?"

"This is no joking matter, young lady!" Dr. Morris said. "I… I can't believe I just said that. You're saying you know the location of another factory, is that correct?"

"Yes. It is located at latitude 25.345 degrees north and longitude 131.035 degrees west." Isabella answered.

"Oh… um… Well, as long as you're sure!"

Looking at a map on the table, Lin said, "That's in the Seratta Mountain range."

"There is an underground nuclear shelter at the coordinates I have given you." Isabella explained. "It contains a subterranean farm and small–scale factory capable of feeding 1,000 people."

"Do you really expect us to believe that? I've never heard of such a place!" Dr. Morris exclaimed.

"Nor have I." Lin agreed.

"It was constructed for Rubinelle's senior cabinet ministers and captains of the industry. In the event of an all–out nuclear war, they would be able to live in the shelter for decades. Its existence is not known to the general public. Access requires a grade 4 security clearance." Isabella explained.

Okay, this girl is _really_ freaking me out. How does she know so much about military stuff?

Koji's eyes widened at the last part when the girl mentioned the security clearance required. "So… anyone got that high a clearance? My security clearance is at most grade 2."

"Sorry, mine's only grade 2 as well," Lin shook her head. She then looked up to Capt. Brenner and asked, "What about you, sir?"

"Mine's grade 3, but given the circumstances of our generals being most likely dead, hopefully the shelter will accept grade 3."

"And if they don't, sir?" Deadeye asked.

I gave him a look. "Always the optimist, aren't you, Deadeye?"

Deadeye rolled his eyes at me as Dr. Stauffenburg said, "If it doesn't accept the captain's security clearance, I can probably find a way to hack the door open."

"The construction contract for the shelter was awarded to a private military firm… IDS…" She then for some reason repeated those letters. "IDS… IDS… IDS… IDS… ID…" Then all of a sudden she had a headache.

"What is it, Isabella? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry… It's my head." Isabella groaned holding her head. "It's pounding so hard… I can't think."

Dr. Morris scratched his head curiously. "IDS…? I've never heard of this company."

"Captain Brenner! I'll take care of Isabella." Will said.

"You do that, Will." Brenner said. Will nodded and took Isabella out of the tent.

"That girl may be a complete mystery, but I feel strangely confident she's not lying. Perhaps those coordinates will lead us to the answer to our dilemma, hmmm?" Dr. Morris pondered.

"Could be, Doc. It's worth checking out, that's for sure." Brenner said.

Just then, a soldier came in the tent, "Captain, sir! One of our recon units just pulled in. It's reporting a firefight in progress! There's a lone unit running or its life. It's a Rubinelle unit, sir!"

"Rubinelle!?" We all shouted in disbelief.

Koji then said, in a mix of excitement and concern, "Cap, we gotta go help those guys!"

"I'm with ya on that." Brenner nodded. "Lin, get all our troops mobilized. We're doing a rescue operation."

"Yes sir!" Lin saluted before moving out of the tent.

Koji was about to start moving out, but then stopped when he saw Sasword. "So, Sasword… How would you feel about partnering up with me?"

"Hmmmmmm…" Sasword pondered looking around before he started crawling all over his body, inspecting him, all the while Koji was feeling jittery about the mechanical scorpion walking all over him and after a while, he crawled back down to the ground and said, "Mmmmm… nah, you're not my type."

"EH?!" Koji asked incredulously.

Sasword shrugged his claws as he looked up at Koji and said, "Sorry, kiddo, but I just don't think you and I are compatible."

"Aww, man…" Koji said, slightly depressed at not being selected by _another_ ZECTer.

"Koji…" Rika said sadly as she watched him walk away.

I frowned sadly as well as I said to Rika, "Dang… Hope he isn't taking it too hard."

"Yeah, that whole factory thing the other day was bad enough." Rika sighed.

"Maybe you can talk to him when he gets back." I suggested. "I mean it's no secret that you have a crush on him."

Rika's face turned bright red when I said that. "W–What? I–I–I d–don't know what you're talking about! No idea! Nope, none!"

"Aw c'mon Rika, no use hiding it. You've been ogling over him ever since we were kids."

She blushed even more as she looked at the ground, "…Okay, let's say you're right… What would I say to him?"

"I don't know, just say what comes to mind." I shrugged. I then chuckled saying, "Just try not to fumble your words while you talk."

Rika stuck her tongue out at me as she said, "Maybe I'll try not to fumble with your pain meds so as to avoid giving you an injection of hepatitis."

"Um…" I mumbled.

"Hehehehehehehehehe… I like your style lassie." Sasword chuckled.

Rika looked to Sasword in surprise. "You… You do?"

"Mhmm," Sasword said crawling around her, and then jumping on my lap to get a closer look. "Mhmm, yep! I like ya lassie, I think you may be my type."

Rika and I both looked at each other in surprise before looking back to Sasword. "You… You're serious?" Rika asked, still in disbelief.

"Why her?" I asked, equally surprised.

"She's got a certain spirit that admire, her take–no–nonsense attitude matched with a good wit," Sasword explained.

"I don't know…" Rika said, looking slightly guilty. "I mean… I feel like I'd be backstabbing Koji, seeing how much he wanted to be a Rider."

"Bah, that youngster will be fine." Sasword waved off with a claw.

"Still, even though I could be a Rider, I still got patients to take care of." Rika pointed out.

Hesitantly, I then said, "Well, Rika, you're not the only medical doctor here now. Dr. Morris could take care of things when you need to fight."

"So what do you say, missy?" Sasword asked, extending his claw as if offering her a handshake. "Partner up with those old-timer and become Kamen Rider Sasword?"

* * *

><p><em>"Would somebody tell me why these Lazurians are up in my business?!" A pilot asked as he and some of his men fired on them with nothing but 9mm pistols. "Did they not see the meteors? The fires, the floods, the dead people? They act like there's still a darn war goin' on!"<em>

_The pilot was a man over six feet tall with large muscles. His brown hair was gelled up in a pompadour and he wore sunglasses, a red scarf, a white tank top with a weird symbol in red that appeared to be a falcon with a skull face in over to crossed bones with a banner dangling from them, dog tags, a parachute on his back, blue flight pants, survival riggings around the legs, and a bomber jacket in his other hand. His name was Waylon._

_At that moment, though, Waylon got a lucky surprise: reinforcements. Out of nowhere, several unknown units began firing on the guys who were firing on his troops. Looking up at the man who seemed to be in charge (None other than Capt. Brenner), Waylon asked, "Hey! Who are you?"_

_"This is Captain Brenner of the 12th Battalion."_

_"Aw, yeah! Now, we're talkin'! The cavalry arrives!" Waylon cheered._

_"Name and rank, soldier. Where's the rest of your company?" Brenner asked._

_"Name and rank?" Waylon asked incredulously. "Listen up, brother man. That's all ancient history! I ain't heard a peep from the big brass since the sky fell in. How 'bout you? Nothin', right?" Brenner nodded at that. "Yeah, I thought so."_

_"You're right. We've been operating on our own. It seems Rubinelle's government is gone for good." Brenner said._

_"Cheer up, Brenner! Ain't nothing wrong with that! The name's Waylon. Oh, right… Captain Waylon of the 13th Airborne! Ha, ha, ha!" Waylon laughed a bit. "Lighten up, will ya? We're survivors! We're like lottery winners! Ain't much left of the old world. Least we can do is enjoy the new one."_

_"Just then, Lin came up to Brenner saying, "Captain! The enemy has spotted us and is moving to engage."_

_"Understood. Get 'em ready, Lin." Brenner said. "TheBee!"_

_"I'm ready when you are Cappy!" TheBee chirped flying around Brenner._

_Stevens then nodded to Drake as he took out the Drake Grip. "Alright, partner… shall we dance?"_

_"Let's do it!" Drake replied excitedly as he looped in the air._

_"What in the–" Waylon got out as TheBee attached to the Rider Brace while Drake attached to the Drake Grip, "Talking mechanical bugs?"_

_"Henshin!" Brenner and Deadeye shouted._

**HENSHIN!**

_The energy hexagons began forming over Deadeye and Brenner, solidifying into their armors very quickly. "We'll take point, Waylon," Brenner replied as he and Deadeye moved to the front in Masked Form. "Koji, have Tech Platoon start setting up their heavy weapon positions!"_

_"Yes sir!" Koji said._

_"Whoa, Brenner brother man! You holdin' out on me! Where can I get one of those?!" Waylon asked surprised._

_"Long story," Brenner yelled back as he and Deadeye charged to the front. While Deadeye stayed back further, covering Brenner with Drake as the captain moved in to close range with his 9MM._

["Captain,"] _Koji then said as he came in over the radio._

_"Go ahead, Sergeant," Brenner replied, dodging under a hail of bullets, a few bouncing off his armor._

["My troops are in position with machine gun positions, and we have an ID on the enemy: the Lazurians, Sir!"]

_"Lazurians?!" Brenner asked surprised. "Are you sure?!"_

["If seeing their crest of a knight riding a horse while holding a lance isn't it, then I don't know what is!"]

_Deadeye grunted with annoyance as he shot an armored Humvee approaching Brenner. "Figures those guys would be willing to pick a fight even after Armageddon."_

_"Tell me about it," Brenner replied as he got knocked off his feet by a grenade exploding beside him. "Deadeye, I think we need to drop some weight."_

_"You got it." Deadeye said before he pulled on Drake and Brenner flipped TheBee's wings over. Green and blue electricity crackled all over their armor as the heavy parts separated a bit and steam came out._

_"Cast Off!" They shouted._

**CAST OFF!**

_The armors shot out, sending them all over the place going into Rider Form._

**CHANGE: WASP/DRAGONFLY!**

_The two Riders then nodded to each other before hitting the Clock Up pads on their waists, knocking them up to light speed._

**CLOCK UP!**

_Deadeye began running about the field, firing shots at the enemy's heavy units as Brenner began attacking the multiple infantry units, trying to splinter their formations. "Whoa, what the heck's goin' on here?!" Waylon demanded. "First I see talking mechanical bugs, then Brenner and his guy go super soldier and now they're gone! What's up with this crazy world?"_

_Laying down suppressing fire with his machine gun, Koji turned to Waylon and replied, "It's a long story, Captain. I'm sure Capt. Brenner will fill you in when this is over."_

_"Hey whatever works with you and me man," Waylon said before he started firing on the Lazurian soldiers. "Let's bring the rain!"_

* * *

><p>Back at the infirmary, Rika and I were still with Sasword, discussing the latter's interest in teaming up with Rika. "…What do you think, Rika? You gonna partner up with him?"<p>

"I don't know…" Rika said uncertain.

"Aw c'mon lassie, it'll be fun!" Sasword assured. "You can dissect a Worm anytime you want with the sword."

"I know, but Sasword, I'm a doctor, not a soldier," Rika explained.

Sasword was silent as he crawled off of me and up to Rika, getting onto her lap as she sat in her chair. "Lass, your friend there wasn't a soldier. He was a cook. And Kabuto _still_ chose him. You may not be a warrior, but I can tell you got the heart of one."

"Really…? You think so?" Rika asked.

"I know one when I see it! You got the qualities!" Sasword answered.

Rika then looked to me and said, "What do you think?"

I smiled and nodded. Shooting her a thumbs–up, I said, "I think you'd make a great Kamen Rider, Rika!"

"Me too!" Kabuto chirped in.

"Well…" Rika began. "If that's the case, then–"

Suddenly, Sasword leapt up in Rika's lap. "Doggone it! I'm detecting a Worm not too far from here!"

"What?!" Rika and I asked shocked.

"This far out?!" Kabuto asked.

Sasword nodded. "Yeah, and if I'm right… Then it's right where our boys just went to go fight some bad guys!"

"Well that's not good," I grumbled.

"So lassie, what's it gonna be?" Sasword asked Rika. Kabuto and I looked to Rika anxiously as we waited for her to make her decision.

Finally, she said, "…I need to find Dr. Stauffenburg. We need your transformation device if you and I are gonna go make some sliced Worm, Sasword."

"Heh, heh, I knew you'd make the right decision!" Sasword chuckled.

"Yo, Dr. S! Where are ya?!" I shouted.

Rika looked to one of the corpsman who worked for her. "Private!"

"Yes, Doctor?" The corpsman replied.

"I need you to bring Dr. Stauffenburg here, now, and tell him to bring his case of Rider gear."

Nodding his head, the private said, "Yes, ma'am!" He ran off and a few minutes later returned with the scientist.

"What is it?" Stauffenburg asked curiously, his big silver suitcase in hand.

"I'm gonna need Sasword's henshin device!" Rika said. "There's a Worm out there and I'm going in to fight with Sasword!"

Stauffenburg was shocked. "Y–You are!? Sasword is partnering up with _you_!?"

Rika shot Stauffenburg a look as she asked darkly, "Is this a _problem_, Doctor?"

"N–No! Not at all!" Stauffenburg squeaked. "H-Hold on! Let me get my suitcase!" He said before running off. A moment later, he returned back… with a sword that's about the size of a wakazashi, if not a bit longer just up to a standard three foot sword.

"What's that?" Rika asked.

"This is the Sasword Yaiver." Stauffenburg said, giving it to her. "This will allow to transform into Sasword."

Rika took the Yaiver into her hands, turning it over once or twice as she got a look at it. "Sugoi… It's very impressive."

"Indeed it is, Missy," Sasword said proudly as he crawled up onto the table. "Now then, shall we?"

"Right!" Rika nodded.

**STANDBY!**

The sword let out a trilling pulse sound and Sasword then jumped up and attached itself to the hilt of the Sword Yaiver before shouting, "Henshin!"

**HENSHIN!**

Purple hexagons of energy formed around Rika's arm, then all over her body before finally being enclosed in the armor.

The torso armor is deep purple and over the heard is a circular orange core which has some sort of fluid inside of it. From the top and bottom, orange tubing extended from the circle and travel down around her side or across her back to connect to the spiked shoulder plating and receptacles for the tubes mounted underneath them. From there, the tubes travel down her arms into her gauntlets. The helmet is purple with a scorpion's tail rising up from the top. Her mouth plate was decorated with silver mandible–like pieces on either side while a green line cybernetic visor is the only way for her to see until she could cast off the armor.

My mouth went agape as I saw Rika in her new armor. "Wow, Rika!"

Rika looked over herself and I could tell she was just as amazed as me at her appearance. "This feels… incredible!" Looking to me, she asked, "Kurogasa… all this power… is this how you feel whenever you transform?"

"Feels amazing right?" I grinned.

"Oh just wait until you Cast Off." Sasword chuckled. "But enough of that, we gotta get to the Worm!"

"Right," Rika nodded to her ZECTer before looking back to Stauffenburg. "I don't suppose we have a Rider Machine for me, do you?"

"Unfortunately no." Stauffenburg deflated.

"Use mine." I said.

"Are you sure?" Rika asked.

"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere anyways, so go on."

Rika shot me a nod and thumbs–up as she said, "Okay. Thanks, Kurogasa. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Good luck," I replied as I painfully shot her a thumbs–up before laying back on the examining table. Rika then rushed out of the room to find my Rider Machine and go rendezvous with the rest of the Wolves.

* * *

><p><em>"Gah! This is getting us nowhere!" Waylon gritted, taking cover behind a huge boulder before he fired his gun at the enemy.<em>

_"No worries! Capt. Brenner and Deadeye can handle things!" Koji assured before firing his M–16._

_"Well they better make it quick! We're getting pinned down here as it is!" Waylon said._

_"With all due respect, Sir," Koji said, kinda spitting out the last word, "Trust us. We've got it under control."_

_["Wolf 2 to Tech Lead,"] Lin came in, over Koji's radio._

_"Tech Lead, here! Go ahead, Wolf 2," Koji replied._

_Several gunshots could be heard on Lin's end before she said, ["Sergeant, we have a problem! We've spotted a Worm! Repeat, Worm detected on the battlefield!"]_

_"Say what?!" Koji asked surprised._

_"Worm?" Waylon asked confused._

_"Copy that Wolf 2, I'll inform Capt. Brenner and Deadeye. Over and out!" Koji said before saying next. "Tech Lead to Wolf 1 and Sniper Lead! Wolf 2 has spotted a Worm! Repeat, Wolf 2 has spotted a Worm!"_

_Brenner was clearly annoyed by what he heard. ["Of course there is! Because our karma is just that bad. Deadeye, let's go intercept."]_

_"Alright, just what the heck are these Worms you're blabbering about!?" Waylon demanded._

_Groaning as he launched a grenade from his rifle, Koji said, "Short version: Worms are body snatching, insectoid aliens that came here in the meteor shower."_

_"Are you freakin' kidding me?!" Waylon asked shocked. "_They're_ the ones that made our planet all cooked up?!"_

_"Pretty much…" Koji frowned._

_"Well dang, you should've said somethin'!" Waylon said. "Alright, take me to my jet! My baby can still fly and I'll missile barrage that Worm!"_

_Koji was hesitant to leave his platoon, but he knew in the end that Waylon's aircraft would be a big help. "Yes, Sir. Sergeant Rusk!"_

_"Staff Sergeant?" Rusk shouted from his firing position._

_"Take over command of the platoon! I'm escorting Captain Waylon to his jet!"_

_"You got it, Boss!"_

_"Alright, where is it?!" Koji asked._

_"Follow me and try to keep up!" Waylon said before leading the way._

* * *

><p><em>"Keep firing! Don't let those Rubinelles' get away!" Tasha ordered.<em>

_"Yes, Ma'am!" One of the shoulders shouted as he continued firing on the Rubinelles._

_However, Tasha then heard screams coming from her side of the battlefield. "What is that? Did the Rubinelles get behind our lines!?"_

_"Ma'am, it's terrible!" A soldier cried out. "We're under attack by–_

_*SLASH!*_

_"GAH!" The soldier cried out in pain before falling on his front, lifeless, and behind him was... the Mantis Worm!_

_"What in the–!" Tasha said shocked._

_The Mantis Worm laughed as he clashed his blades against one another. _**"Heh heh heh! Looks like I have an excellent supply of viable hosts for my brethren! Now, who wants to be absorbed and then die, and who simply wants to die?"**

**RIDER STING/SHOOTING!**

**"HUH?!"** _The Mantis Worm gasped as it turned to see Kamen Rider TheBee and Drake coming towards them, the latter already shooting an electric ball while TheBee jumped and was about to sting him, but the Mantis Worm dodged in time._

_The Mantis Worm rolled across the ground and quickly got back to his feet as he observed the two Riders now standing amongst Tasha's men._ **"So, you are the ones who have been exterminating my brethren. I suppose it's on me to avenge them. I'm surprised, though. I thought there were three of you."**

_"You don't have to worry about that!" TheBee said._

_"Worry about us instead!" Drake said before both Riders hit their pads._

**CLOCK UP!**

_The Mantis Worm Clocked Up himself to keep up with the Kamen Riders. Slashing his blades together, he then charged at both Riders, aiming first for TheBee. TheBee raised his arms to block the attack, causing sparks to fly off his armor before punching the Worm back._

_"Wh–What's going on here?" Tasha asked herself not understanding what's going on. She couldn't comprehend it all. In the end, she decided that it's best to not stick around and find out. "Men! Pull out and head back to base! We're regrouping!"_

_"Yes, Ma'am," Tasha's sergeant major shouted before ordering their men to pull out._

_Deadeye chuckled sarcastically as he said, "I guess the good news about our Worm here showing up is our troops don't have to worry about fighting these guys anymore."_

_"We can worry about that later, right now let's take of this Worm and be done with it." Brenner said._

_He then charged forward at the Praying Mantis Worm. However, as he did, the Worm pulled a surprising trick. The Mantis Worm used the blades on his arms to reflect light, blinding Brenner and causing him to miss and roll across the ground. But that wasn't the Worm's only trick. The reflected light suddenly solidified into two copies of himself. _**"Ha ha ha! Hope you don't mind that I brought some friends to the party!"**

_"Oh great…" Brenner muttered._

_"Triple Threat…" Deadeye added._

_"Think you can handle 3–on–2?" the Mantis Worm taunted._

_"Make that 3–on–3!" A new voice shouted. Brenner, Deadeye, and the three Mantis Worms all looked up as they heard the voice and the sound of an approaching motorcycle. Much to their surprise, there was a purple Kamen Rider._

_"What the–" Brenner got out._

_"Who's that?" Deadeye wondered as the Purple Rider got off and approached the two._

_"Need some help?" a female voice asked._

_Brenner and Deadeye recognized the voice and they were surprised. "RIKA?!"_

_"Not right now," Rika replied cheekily as she drew the Sasword Yaiver from its holster on her motorcycle. "Right now… you can call me Kamen Rider Sasword."_

_"Kamen Rider Sasword?!" They asked shocked._

_"Quit yelling you whippersnappers!" Sasword growled irritably from the hilt of the Sword Yaiver. "You got a problem with me choosing her to be my partner?!"_

_"N–No…" Brenner and Deadeye stuttered out._

_Growling, the lead Mantis Worm shouted, _**"Enough! It's time for you all to die!"**_ Looking to his clones, he pointed to Kamen Riders TheBee and Drake and commanded, _**"Kill the blue and yellow one! I'll deal with the purple one myself!"**_ The three Worms then Clocked Up and charged towards their opponents._

_"Here they come!" Sasword alerted._

_"Better Clock Up!" Brenner said._

_"Right!" Deadeye said before hitting their pads._

**CLOCK UP!**

_The two blurred leaving only Rika to stand. "H–Hey! What about me?!" She panicked._

_"You're going to have to Cast Off your Masked Form armor first!" Sasword shouted._

_"And how do I do that!?" Rika replied worriedly._

_"Well you just–!" Sasword was cut off as the original Mantis Worm slammed into Rika, slashing her across the chest and causing her to drop the Sasword Yaiver._

_"GAH!" Rika cried out._

_"Oh c'mon lassie! You have to stay on your feet or you're gonna get killed!" Sasword exclaimed._

_Rika managed to roll out from another attack by the Worm and just managed to grab the Sasword Yaiver. Getting back to her feet, she shouted at Sasword, "That's easier said than done! Now, tell me how to do the Cast Off thingy and then do the speed up thingy!"_

_"Alright, you see my tail with my stinger at it end? In front of me on the hilt is a hole! Push down my tail so that my stinger is in the hole to initiate Cast Off!"_

_Rika quickly spotted the hole before she got to her feet, avoiding the brunt of an attack by the Clocked Up, Worm, but still got a glancing blow to her back. "Right, I see it!" She shouted as she started to bend Sasword's tail down, causing steam to stream out of her armor as the outer portion began to open up. "Cast Off!"_

**CAST OFF!**

_The armor cast off sending the heavy armor and orange wire all over the place to reveal that the armor inside was much light and less bulky, the chest plate looking like a scorpion with silver legs while its claws act as his shoulder plates. Her helmet boasts large green eyes and smaller purple mandibles on his mouth plate while his arms are free of all the tubing and armor in favor of the lighter silver bracing._

**CHANGE: SCORPION!**

**BGM: Full Force by RIDER Chips feat. Ricky**

_"Now this is more like it," Rika said as she looked over her Rider Form armor. "Alright, so how do I do that Clock Up thing?"_

_"Hit the pad on your waist," Sasword replied. "That'll do it for ya!"_

_"Got it!" Rika said before doing so._

**CLOCK UP!**

_Immediately after, the rest of the world began to slow down around her as she finally saw the other Riders and the three Mantis Worms at normal speed._

_"Welcome to the speed of light," Sasword chuckled._

_Rika grinned beneath her helmet as she raised her sword. "I like it. I like it a lot." Seeing the original Mantis Worm rush at her, she raised her sword and charged at him, blocking his slashes with her blade before knocking them to the side and making her own attack. "YAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rika yelled as she swung down hard, making a deep cut on the Mantis Worm._

_Sparks flew from the Mantis Worm as he went flying backwards and spun several times in the air. _**"ARGH!"**_ He rolled across the ground for several feet before pushing himself up off the ground. _**"Heh... It would seem you've got some skill with a blade. But let's see how you deal with **_**these**_** blades!"**_ He then slashed through the air, releasing two large energy blades at Rika._

_"Watch out!" Sasword yelled and Rika managed to dodge out of the way just in time before the energy blades hit one of the Lazurian tanks exploding on contact._

_"Whoa, that was too close…" Rika sighed heavily._

_"Keep your head on a swivel lassie, he's coming at us again!" Sasword warned._

_Rika looked up as another swarm of energy blades flew at her, swatting them away with her Yaiver as she charged towards the Worm. "I don't suppose you have any ideas on how to take him out quickly, do you?"_

_"Nope." Sasword replied._

_"I figured as much." Rika deadpanned._

**CLOCK OVER!**

_"What the–!?" Rika shouted as she suddenly returned to normal time, just in time to get slammed by the still Clocked Up, Worm._

_Groaning, Sasword replied as Rika pushed herself back up, "We ZECTers can only keep you whippersnappers Clocked Up for so long. You're gonna need to Clock Up again!"_

_"Oh fine…" Rika groaned before hitting the pad again._

**CLOCK UP!**

_Rika quickly returned to her sped up mode, seeing Drake and TheBee still battling with the clones. "If I can finish off the real one, maybe the clones will disappear. Sasword, you got some kind of cool finishing move I could use to finish this guy off?"_

_"Pull my tail up and push it back down the hole for Rider Slash!" Sasword said._

_"That's it? Okay," Rika said as she prepared to do so. However, as she pulled the tail up, the Mantis Worm got up close to her, knocking her sword away from her before punching her in the face. "AHHHH!" Rika cried out before rolling on the ground._

**"Hahahahahahaha! Fool! You should never have challenged me."**_ The Mantis Worm laughed._

_Groaning in pain, Rika struggled to push herself up as the Mantis Worm approached her. _'No… I can't go down like this… the others need me… Kurogasa… Koji… they all need me…' _Getting onto one knee, she then thought, _'Sasword said I had the heart of a warrior… Now I need to prove it… to him and myself…'

**"Heh heh… Time to squash a bug,"**_ the Mantis Worm said as he prepared to finish Rika off with one last pair of energy slashes._

_"The only bug getting squashed today is you!" Rika challenged suddenly as she reached back, grabbed a piece of debris and lobbed it at the Worm, knocking him off balance and sending his attack flying off in random directions as she ran to grab her weapon._

_Once she grabbed it, she pushed down Sasword's tail shouting, "Rider Slash!"_

**RIDER SLASH!**

_Purple electricity began forming around the blade of the Sasword Yaiver as Rika held the blade at the ready. "Ikuze! Hissatsu! HAAAAAAAA!" She shouted as she charged towards the Mantis Worm._

**"HA! That won't save you!"**_ The Mantis Worm boasted as he charged in too, and swung his blades, but Rika pivoted her body to dodge surprising the Worm before Rika slashed the Worm multiple times while purple liquid oozed out of the Sword Yaiver._

_Then, the Mantis Worm suddenly exploded, the effect of Rika's multiple attacks taking hold._

**End BGM**

_The moment he died, the Mantis Worm clones TheBee and Drake were battling simply vanished. Both Riders stumbled slightly as they wound up missing the targets they were about to attack. "The clones… they're gone," Brenner said._

_Pointing over to Rika, Deadeye replied, "I think it's because of the doctor, Captain. The original one's dead."_

_"I see." Brenner said, before approaching Rika. Nice job doctor."_

_"Oh it's nothing really." Rika said bashfully._

_["Aw man! I missed the party!"] Waylon's voice over the radio rang out as a jet noise roared The Riders looked up to see a fighter jet hovering from above. ["I was about to bring the rain on that Worm thing!"]_

_Brenner rolled his eyes as he replied, "Maybe next time, Waylon."_

_Koji and his men then arrived along with Lin and the rest of the Wolves. "Captain, the Lazurians are in full retreat! We managed to–" That was when he caught sight of the new Kamen Rider. "Who is that?"_

_"Uh… heya." Rika said sheepishly, waving at him._

_Koji gawked, "RIKA?!"_

_Sasword chuckled while still attached to the Sasword Yaiver. "Yep! And I'd say this lass made a fine partner."_

_"Yeah, I'm sure she did," Koji said coldly with an angry look before turning away and walking back to the main formation of the battalion._

_"Oh no…" Rika sighed sadly. "Now he's mad at me…"_

_"Bah, he'll get over it." Sasword said as he detached from the Sword Yaiver and energy hexagons destabilized into energy before being absorbed into the sword and Sasword jumped on Rika's shoulder._

_"Really? I'm not so sure…" Rika said uncertain as Brenner and Deadeye went back to civilian form too._

_Brenner looked to Rika and said, "Trust me, I'm sure Sasword is right. I've known Sgt. Shinamori for a while now. I don't think he's mad at you… he's just mad at the situation. Try talking to him when we get back to base."_

_"Um… ok… I guess."_

* * *

><p>Man, I wonder what's taking them so long…<p>

Kabuto was busy flying about the infirmary on the verge of a panic attack. The poor bug was worried sick about the group since he couldn't be out there fighting with them. "Oh, man… what if they were ambushed? What if there was another Worm? What if they needed a _fourth_ Rider!? Oh no, oh no, oh no! They should be here, they should be back by now! Why aren't they back by now!?"

"Oi Kabuto! Calm down!" I snapped.

Kabuto sighed as he landed on the little tool stand next to my examining table. "Sorry… I'm just worried about the others. I'm not used to being on the sidelines. I've been in every fight since we joined the Wolves and having to sit out makes me worried for our friends is all."

"Hey don't worry about it." I said. "You got three Riders out on the field. I doubt they'd die that easily."

"I guess so." Kabuto said.

Just then, Will came into the tent. "Hey Kurogasa, they're back! And they got the surviving unit back!"

Kabuto and I both looked up ecstatically. "Really!? They're alright!?"

"You bet!" Will replied happily. "C'mon, I'll get you in a wheelchair and take you to see them!"

"Uh… I think crutches will do fine thanks." I said. "I don't want to look like an old man. Hey Dr. M! I need some crutches!"

"Coming!" Dr. Morrison replied from another examining room. A few moments later, he came back with a pair of crutches for me.

It was a bit of a struggle, but with his and Will's, help, I was off the bed and supported by the crutches. "Okay, let's go welcome our friends back!"

"Right," I nodded. So with that, Will and I went out of the tent and sure enough everyone came back along with the Rubinelle soldiers that needed help, including their commander who looks to be some kind of pilot, if his aviation jacket wasn't obvious enough.

"Capt. Brenner you're back!" Will said happy to see them.

"Good seeing you too." Brenner nodded.

"Everyone made it out alright?" I asked.

"The enemy's been routed." Brenner answered. "Will, I want you to make sure the wounded are taken care of."

"Yes, sir!" Will nodded.

"Thanks for the assist, brother!" The pilot said to Brenner, "Who's the runt? You got yourself some sort of cabin boy?"

"Cabin boy?" Will asked confused.

"He's one of us. We've been patrolling the region looking for survivors who might need our help." Brenner asked.

""Helping" survivors? Helping yourself to their money, I hope! Ha ha ha …whew…" the pilot laughed, but Brenner didn't find that funny. "Wait, you serious?"

"Of course. We'd be more effective with air support, though. Why don't we join forces and–"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, time out, Captain Courageous!" The pilot interrupted. "You want me, Waylon to join forces with _you_? Listen to me now. I think you're a good man. I'll even give you a standing ovation. Clap, clap. But if you think I'm going to do charity work, you need to think again! I didn't survive the meteors just to risk myself for a bunch of chumps!"

Brenner eyed Waylon disapprovingly as he asked, "What are you babbling about?"

Koji, clearly looking ticked about something, said, "He's saying he's out for himself."

Waylon snorted as he replied, "The sergeant there is right, Brenner! There is no more central command! No orders, no missions… I do what I want, got it!?"

Deadeye rolled his eyes. "I get what you're saying, but I sure don't agree with it," he scoffed.

Brenner nodded in agreement with Deadeye. "Well said, Sergeant Stevens." Turning back to Waylon, he glared at the pilot as he said, "The world's been broken. But that doesn't mean you're free to do whatever you want. The ties that bind people together can be reestablished. We have to do that."

"And why would I want to do that? You want to clip my wings, brother? That it?" Waylon asked, "I won't live in a cage! You can do what you want, but just leave me be. By the way, you know a fat cat named Greyfield?"

"Admiral Greyfield?" Brenner said thinking about it before saying, "Yes, I served under him for a while. What about him?"

"He's set up shop in the capital. Word is, he wants all surviving Rubinelle soldiers to come join him. Wants to start what he's calling the "New Rubinelle Army." Creative genius, he ain't." Waylon scoffed. "Now I ain't hip on takin' orders, but I could make a pretty penny as a mercenary. I'd have all the food I could eat, and the ladies love a man in uniform. Know what I'm saying?"

"There's no accounting for taste." Brenner frowned.

"Aww, that's just cold, brother man. Ain't no call for that," Waylon said mockingly hurt before saying, "Looks like you and I ain't gonna be friends." He then swung his jacket over his shoulders and turned around ready to walk away. "And with that, the sky calls. Good luck with the charity work."

As the pilot went to leave, Rika looked over Waylon's men and saw the majority of them were wounded very badly. "Wait a minute! What about your wounded!?"

"You think you can guilt–trip me?" Waylon retorted before laughing smugly. "You got another thing coming, brother man. My only responsibility is survivin' to eat, drink, and be merry another day."

I shot him a disgusted look. "You'd abandon your own men? Some leader _you_ are."

"That's all your duty is? That's what you think it is?" Brenner asked, getting up in Waylon's face.

Waylon just stared down Brenner right back and replied, "Uh huh. And you know responsibility's gonna get _you_, Brenner? A broken heart and an early grave." He then turned, flipped us the bird, and left.

"That guy's messed up." Will commented.

"You're not the only one who thinks that." I agreed.

"Are we just gonna let him go sir?" Lin asked Brenner, approaching him.

Brenner sighed as TheBee settled on his shoulder. "We can't force him to stay and we can't force him to care."

"Good riddance to him, I say," Koji replied before walking off to his barracks, not saying anything to me or Rika.

Deadeye shot Koji a two–fingered salute as the latter walked away. "Amen to that, brother."

Will looked to Capt. Brenner before turning his attention back in the direction that Waylon was heading. "Is that guy really a soldier? He's nothing like you, Captain. He's nothing like any of us."

The captain shrugged. "Soldiers are people, Will," he conceded finally. "You have to take the good with the bad. Each of us has to choose how to make it in this world, and Waylon's made his choice." Patting Will on the shoulder, he then said, "Try not to let it bother you."

"I guess so," Will said.

"How are you holding up soldier?" Lin asked approaching me.

"I've been better." I smiled.

Lin chuckled as she said, "Yeah, but I'd imagine you've been worse, too."

"Heh, yeah," I said as I briefly looked over myself. "I'm feeling better than I was earlier right after I took that hit."

"So… does that mean you'll be able to cook the burger and fries you owe me?" Lin smirked.

"Well I'm not _that _far." I chuckled back. "But I'm getting there."

Lin smiled as she said, "I'm still holding you to that." She patted my shoulder, causing me to blush slightly as she walked by.

I watched her walk by for a few moments before turning to Rika who was still standing there. Sasword was on her shoulder and the Yaiver in her hand. However, she looked rather sad. Hobbling over to her, I asked, "Rika? You alright? I figured you'd be happier after your fist big win as a Rider."

"Huh?" Rika said looking at me before saying, "O–Oh uh… yeah, I was, but…"

"But?" I prompted.

"I think Koji's mad at me…" She mumbled.

I looked at Rika with my head tilted to the side. "Why do you think he's mad at you?"

Sasword waved a claw dismissively as he said, "Ah, the youngin's angry that I picked the lassie as my partner instead of him."

"Oh Koji…" I facepalmed.

"I didn't mean it but… I feel like I just backstabbed him." Rika said sadly before… she started crying?

"Oh c'mere," I said before hobbling over to give her a hug.

Rika wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my shoulder as she cried. "What should I do, Kurogasa? I don't want him to hate me."

I sighed as I said, "I think you two need to talk. It's the only way you guys we'll be able to fix things up."

Picking her face up, she wiped the tears away before asking, "What if he doesn't want to talk to me?"

Smirking, I said, "Then I'll beat him with my crutches and drag him out to talk to you."

Rika giggled at that, "O–Ok."

"I'll go over and talk some sense into that jive–turkey of a friend, because he's being one right now." I said before hobbling over to his tent.

* * *

><p>When I got into the tent, I found Koji on his cot restringing his guitar. "Koji. We need to talk."<p>

"What about?" Koji asked distantly, not even taking his eyes off the guitar.

"You and Rika."

Koji sighed in frustration as he put the guitar down on the cot. "Look… I'm not mad at Rika… I'm mad at myself…"

"Really? Because what I heard from Rika was that she thought you were mad at her and now she's bawling out tears."

Koji's eyes widened when I told him that. He then buried his face in his hands as he groaned loudly. "Darn it…"

"Aibou, what's really bothering you?"

A loud sigh was heard before Koji got to his feet and started pacing. "Ever since we discovered the ZECTers and the whole Kamen Rider thing, all I've wanted to do is get one so I could fight alongside you as a Rider. But there's the whole thing with the ZECTers picking the partner and… I'm afraid that the reason Sasword didn't find me worthy was because of the destruction of the crop factory."

I looked at him exasperated, "_That's_ what this is about? Dude, the crop factory wasn't your fault. It was the enemy's. Plus, we didn't even find Sasword back then."

"I know, but–"

"Koji, what's done is done, can't do anything about it."

"But–"

"Kojiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii?!" I smiled sickly, as a metaphorical dark aura seeped out of me. And if you're wondering, I got that from my mom. Whatever something like this happens, she'd smile and this metaphorical dark aura seeps out of her and trust me, you _will_ be terrified.

Koji looked at me in shock for a few moments when I did the "Yukina Stare" as my friends and I dubbed it for a few moments, before he said deadpan, "You know that only works when your mom did it, right?"

"Eh?" I blinked as my aura died down.

Koji shrugged and said, "It might work on other people, but maybe it's because I've known you for so long."

"Oh…" I replied as silent anime–style tears poured down my face. _'I've _failed_ you, Kaa–san!'_ I thought.

My friend then gave a long sigh as he headed for the entrance to the tent. "Look… I'm gonna go talk to Rika and try to fix this up."

"Please do." I said. "She _is_ your Sweet Thang after all."

"Huh?!" Koji said surprised.

"Don't give me that look." I smirked. "I know you two got the hots for each other. I've noticed it ever since we were kids."

Koji looked at me stunned. "I… I… Y'know, I'm not gonna give you the pleasure. I'm gonna go talk to her and not say anything else on the subject to you." He then stepped out of the tent to go find Rika.

"Hehehehehehehehe…" I chuckled.

* * *

><p><em>Koji walked around the base until he finally found Rika in the infirmary, seemingly doing inventory of her medical supplies. "Knock, knock," Koji said sheepishly as he tapped on the door and stepped into the infirmary. "Can we talk?"<em>

_Rika looked up in surprise when she heard Koji. When she turned to face him, her eyes seemed red and puffy from crying. "Koji… I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to backstab you or–!"_

_"Rika, wait!" Koji said as he approached her, putting his hands on her arms. "Look, you have _nothing_ to apologize for. _I_ need to apologize to you." Taking a deep breath, he let go and turned away from her as he spoke. "I was never mad at you. In truth, Sasword made a good pick in a partner. I was just… jealous and angry at myself for not being picked. Ever since I screwed up and got the crop factory destroyed, I've felt less sure of myself, like I need to prove that I'm still… still… I can't even think of the word… but… you get what I mean?"_

_"Yeah, I get you." Rika said before hugging Koji._

_Koji sighed in relief as he hugged Rika back. "I'm sorry I made you cry. I don't want anything to come between you and me. I don't want to lose you…"_

_"You… don't?" Rika asked._

_"Of course, I mean… if I lost you then…" Koji trailed off._

_Rika smiled as she said, trying to fill in the blanks, "…Then you'd have no one to disco dance with?"_

_Koji couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Heh… that's one way of putting it, I guess."_

_Rika giggled at that, "Okay, I get it. I'll stay being your disco partner, but you gotta promise me something."_

_"Anything," Koji nodded._

_"Promise me that you won't die on me. You do that, then I won't die on you." Rika said. "We have to look out for each other."_

_Koji smiled down at Rika as he brushed hair out of her face. "You bet. It's a deal." He then hugged her tightly once again and kissed her forehead. Rika blushed at that before the two broke the hug and noticed that both of them are blushing. _

_"Well uh… I should get going." Koji got out._

_"Uh, right…" Rika said as she nodded and smiled at Koji. "I guess I'll see you later for our next disco dancing session."_

_"It's a date," Koji said with a wink as he left the infirmary._

* * *

><p><strong>Fen:<strong> There you have it guys! Another chapter down and our new Rider is Rika!

**SD:** Yes, that certainly makes things good for the Wolves, increasing their numbers to four Kamen Riders. But, now they have two new enemies in the form of the Lazurians and Capt. Waylon. And who is this mysterious Admiral Greyfield?

**Fen:** They'll find out soon enough when they meet him. So stay tuned for the next chapter everyone! You don't want to miss it! Later!

**SD:** Ja nee!


	8. Chapter 8: A New Threat

**Fen:** *sneaks into the room holding a script, * Hehehehehe… no one will notice…

**SD:** *snoring* Kabuto… must… update…

**Fen:** *slowly puts script on the nightstand little closer… closer…

**SD:** *still snoring in bed* Mmm… need… new platform shoes…

**Fen:** *Places script on the nightstand* Time to go… *runs away with smoke trailing*

**SD:** *Awakens in shock* WAH! WHA–WHAT!? *Sees the script on the nightstand* What is this… is this… a new chapter for Kabuto!? *Reads over it* It… It… It's beautiful! *tears up* IT'S AN ACT OF DIVINE INTERVENTION! I MUST share it with the world!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

><p><em>There was a lot of murmuring and hustling at the camp of the Beast. Everyone had heard how their terrifying leader had gotten injured by a Rubinelle soldier, the one who had frequently fought with him and survived as well as nearly taking his head off once or twice. Understandably, when he returned to base, he was furious. "GYAAARRR! The Beast is hurting! I need medicine! What are you waiting for, roaches!? Swarm and plunder! And <em>DON'T_ come back without something to ease my pain!"_

_"Um… It's not that easy." One of the raiders said. "We're low on fuel and ammo. And most of our weapons were destroyed in the last battle, so-"_

_*KA–CHINK!*_

_The Beast pointed a 9MM pistol to his head. "You're _THIS_ close to dying, boy! Whatever you need, you steal! UNDERSTOOD?!"_

_The mercenary snapped to attention in terror and saluted. "Y–Yes, sir!"_

_Snarling, the Beast holstered his pistol before grabbing his leg again. "My leg's on fire!" Growling more, his thoughts drifted to that Rubinelle soldier who shot him, Koji Shinamori. This was just the latest in a string of close calls he had with the kid. "I can't believe that soldier boy hit me… GYAAAARRR! Gotta kill this infection and then kill me some dog–faced do–gooders! Especially that one roach! I'm gonna mount his head on a pike!"_

_"Do you truly harbor such hatred for Koji Shinamori?" A new voice asked._

_The Beast looked around in surprise as he heard the mysterious voice, swinging his gun around as he hobbled on his leg. "HEY! Wh–Where did you come from, you freakin' ghost!"_

_"My dear Sergeant… Wait, you have no name now, do you?" The voice said. "You're just The Beast. How appropriate. Your propensity for violence saw you expelled from the military, yes? And these past few years, you've spent each day slaking your thirst for blood and mayhem."_

_"B–But… how do you…" the Beast got out._

_The voice chuckled as he started to come into view. "All in good time, my friend. When the meteors came, you knew just what to do, didn't you? You stole weapons and access codes, then began plundering whatever you could find. For most, the world was a living hell, but for a man like you, it was paradise. At least until Captain Brenner and his good Samaritans arrived, especially Shinamori…"_

_"GYAAARRR! I hate them! They ruined everything! Especially that roach! When I find him, I'm gonna rip–"_

_The voice laughed, revealing himself to be the mysterious scientist. "You will have your vengeance, my friend. In fact, I'll give you the weapons and supplies to do so. You desire chaos and destruction, yes?" He chuckled coldly at the anarchic desires of the Beast. "I shall see that you are equipped to sate, that desire."_

* * *

><p><strong>(Cue Theme D–Technolife by UVERworld)<strong>

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi yo)** The scenery is a barren wasteland, with a sky that blotted out the sun. The camera pans slowly to the right as Kurogasa, with his back facing the camera, looks at the barren wasteland on top of a cliff.  
><strong>(Kesenai kako mo seoiatteikou ikiru koto o nagedasanai de)<strong> The camera then suddenly changes to a close up of Kurogasa's face before it went around his head, the camera's view being blocked momentarily when it reached the back of his head and when the camera finally circles to the side of his face, it showed Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Kabuto, before panning out showing him in his full armor. Looking up at the sky, a ray of light suddenly burst through the clouds shining on Kabuto before the screen goes white.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] tsunaida kimi no te o)** The title Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin appears on the screen and just before the song enters the next phrase, the ZECTers flew, crawled, and hopped around the title from behind and jumped towards the screen before changing to the next scene.

**(Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana)** Koji sits on the edge of his bed, sadly looking at his guitar on one side, his rifle on the other, as Gatack flew up and lands on his shoulder.  
><strong>(Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara)<strong> Rika was in the medical wing of the base, sighing and wiping sweat off her brow as she tries to organize her medical supplies, Sasword crawling around on a table while Brenner, Lin, Isabella, and Will were discussing plans for their next move.

**(Hibiku~ boku wo yobu koe sae kare)** Kurogasa was cooking and Kabuto watched on his shoulder before Kurogasa noticed something from afar on the horizon.  
><strong>(Toki ni sou kaze ni kakikesaretatte)<strong> Drake and TheBee fly past him as we see what Kurogasa was looking out: a swarm of Salis Worms flanking Dr. Caulder with Admiral Greyfield, Waylon, showing up one end of the battlefield along with Tasha and Gage on another end and they sending out their troops alerting the 12th Platoon.

**(Kimi wo mitsu–ke–da–su)** Kurogasa grabs Kabuto and transforms into Kamen Rider Kabuto, before casting off his armor and charging towards Dr. Caulder.

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi mou)** Dr. Caulder snaps his fingers and Kamen Rider Punch and Kick Hopper appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Kabuto for an attack only for the latter to dodge before going to attack them.  
><strong>(Waraenai nante, hito kirai nante kotoba sou iwanaide)<strong> Koji transforms into Kamen Rider Gatack and leads the Tech Platoon with their heavy weapons attacking some of the Salis Worms as Brenner transforms into Kamen Rider TheBee and he, Lin, and Will attack the rest of the forces.  
><strong>(Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara)<strong> Rika and David "Deadeye" Stevens transforms into Kamen Rider Sasword and Kamen Rider Drake respectively and attack some of the Salis Worms.  
><strong>(Ima wa sono mama de ii, kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou [WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH])<strong> As Kurogasa battles Punch Hopper and Kick Hopper, Caulder surprisingly joins in and transforms into Kamen Rider Caucasus, going to punch Kurogasa, only for the latter to dodge and he and Caulder stared each other down.

**(You and Me, two have spoken.)** The Hyper ZECTer appears from the distortion of time and Kurogasa grabs it to become Hyper Kabuto.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] Itsuka wakariaeru kara)** Kurogasa then grabs the Perfect ZECTer and he and Caucasus leap at each other, their attack causing a huge flash of light. When the light fades, we see Kurogasa, Koji, Rika, Brenner, Will, Lin, Isabella, Tasha, Gage, and Stauffenburg looking out into the sunset, the ZECTers with them as well before the song ends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: A New Threat<p>

It's been a few days since Rika became Kamen Rider Sasword. And I've been getting better up to the point, where I can get off the crutches and be able to cook again. Right now, it was late at night and I was finished cooking something in the makeshift mess hall tent, but it was for a reason.

"Here you go Lin. As promised, my famous Rubinelle Bacon Cheeseburger and Fries."

Lin smiled as she took the plate of food. "Thank you, Kurogasa." Grabbing the burger, she raised it up and took a bite. "…MMMM! That's really good. You are as good as I'm told."

"Heh, heh, thanks." I grinned sheepishly.

Lin looked up at me as she ate a fry and said, "I'm serious, it's really good, Kurogasa. The meat is cooked just right, the bacon is nice and crispy… It's been a while since I had one of these."

"Well, I'm glad you like it." I said. "I only wish I had enough ingredients for my famous Cookie n' Cream milkshake, but then again, with how the world is now, well… you can't get everything."

Lin nodded with a sad smile. "This is enough. It's something… a little taste of life before the world changed."

"Yeah…"

"You know, if I didn't know any better, this would've been a dinner date."

"Yeah, it would've– whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, what?!" I said caught off guard.

She shot me a wink. "Two people, alone, sharing a meal together." Chuckling slightly, she said, "C'mon, why not make yourself a plate and join me?"

"Um…" I blushed.

"C'mon, it's just the two of us." Lin promised.

Scratching the back of my head, I smiled and nodded. "Okay." I then quickly cooked up my own plate and joined Lin.

* * *

><p><em>Unfortunately, for the two, they were being watched by Koji, Rika, Deadeye, Kabuto, Drake, and Sasword from afar.<em>

_"Are you seeing what _I'm_ seeing?" Koji asked._

_Rika chuckled as she watched as well. "Oh, I see it, alright."_

_"Looks like Lover Boy is making his move on the lieutenant," Stevens replied with a smirk. "I'm have a field day joking him later on."_

_"Oh c'mon, be nice to the kid." Drake said._

_Kabuto flew next to Drake and said, "Personally, I'm happy for my partner! It's good to see this is working out for him!"_

_"Yeah, but who knows how long that'll last." Sasword pointed out._

_Koji looked to Sasword with a small glare. "No need to be pessimistic. With the world the way it is, we should enjoy the good times when we can."_

_"I'm just being realistic." Sasword shrugged with his claws._

_"And you're being a wiseass right now." Koji retorted. _

_"Okay boys, break it up." Rika said playing peacemaker. "Let's just leave those two alone. Give them their moment."_

_"Whatever," Deadeye shrugged as he turned to leave. "C'mon, Drake. Let's get out of here."_

_"Right behind you, buddy," the ZECTer replied as he flew after his human partner._

_With Rika and Sasword leaving, Koji looked back at Kurogasa and Lin one last time before leaving with a chuckle, saying, "Hehe… nice work aibou."_

* * *

><p>Oh boy… what a great dinner date I had with Lin.<p>

I mean… Nothing like _that_ happened, but still: we laughed, we talked, and I got to see a side of Lin that other people don't normally get to. I got to see her more open and personable side, rather than just the tough soldier she wanted everyone to see.

I whistled away happily as I was cooking breakfast for the army.

"Hey Kurogasa." Will greeted. "You… look rather happy."

"Hmmm?" I mumbled as I looked up after finally recognizing Will was speaking to me. "Oh, uh… yeah. I just had a nice night, that's all."

"Really? You don't usually act _this_ happy though."

I grinned sheepishly as I scratched the back of my head before putting the food on Will's tray. "Well, last night was just… different, is all."

"Oh, really?" Koji's voice said as he came into view, a huge grin on his face. "What made last night so special, aibou?"

"That's on a need–to–know basis…" I frowned.

Koji kept grinning as he came and started putting breakfast on his tray. I could tell just by looking at him that he was up to something. "And don't you think your best friend needs to know?"

"No."

"Aw c'mon man."

"I said no."

Giving me a smug look, he then whispered, "You're seriously not gonna tell me how things went with Lt. Lin?"

"Gh!" I flinched, stiffening up at that.

Koji winked as he took a bite of a piece of bacon on his tray. "I saw the first bit, but I didn't see what happened after you cooked your food. I was curious to see how it ended."

"N–Nothing happened." I stuttered.

"Huh? What happened?" Will blinked.

"NOTHING!" I repeated to Will before grabbing Koji by the collar. "You were spying on me!?" I asked in a loud whisper.

"I couldn't help it." Koji whispered sheepishly. "Don't worry, Rika, Deadeye, Kabuto, Drake, and Sasword are in on it too."

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!

I looked to Koji in disbelief as I asked, "Having all of them know is supposed to make me feel better!?"

"Oh come on man, we're happy for ya." Koji said before he chuckled adding, "I'm not sure about Deadeye though."

"Is Deadeye ever happy?" I asked, deadpan.

"Hehe…" Koji grinned stupidly, making my eye twitch. "Ah, no worries man. We'll keep a lid on it."

I clenched my fist tightly as I said, "You better… otherwise I might just grab Kabuto and claim you've been replaced by a Worm so I can kick the crap out of you."

"Scout's honor." Koji said raising his right hand.

My eyes rolled. "Yeah, yeah, you weren't even a scout, aibou."

Koji chuckled again before leaving with his food.

* * *

><p>A little later in the day, Koji and I along with the rest of Capt. Brenner's command staff were in a planning session, discussing where the battalion was going to be moving next. Throughout, I did my best not to stare at Lin, though I noticed Koji giving me a grin every time I did. Luckily, I had an excuse as she started talking about how to get to our next destination, the Seratta Mountains.<p>

"This is the quickest route to the Seratta mountain range." Lin said pointing at the map.

"So we'll be passing by Freehaven again, will we?" Brenner pondered. "I doubt they'll be happy to see us, but we should check to see if the people are safe."

"Permission to speak out of turn, sir," Lin interrupted. "But I believe you're too forgiving. How can you be concerned for their welfare after the way their mayor behaved?"

"That doesn't mean we can abandon them."

"Doesn't it? They insulted you, sir. I for one couldn't care less if they were wiped from the earth."

Koji sighed as he said with a concerned look, "I think the lieutenant may be a little too harsh with the way she said it, Captain, but I have to agree with the sentiment. Those guys used and lied to us to do their dirty work for them. I don't really think we owe them any favors."

"That's enough of that, Lin. Staff Sgt." Brenner sighed.

"Captain Brenner!" Will shouted, running into the tent.

"What is it, Will? Are we under attack again?" Brenner asked.

"Huh? No, it's those villagers." Will answered. "Remember the ones we met before? They say they want to speak with you, sir."

"They want to speak to us?" Dr. Stauffenburg wondered, scratching his chin.

Deadeye snorted as he said, "What about? Last time we were there, they pretty much didn't want anything to do with us after the battle."

Brenner was silent for a few moments before he got up from his chair. Sighing, his hands behind his back as he stared at the map, he said, "We might as well go find out what they want. Will, bring the mayor in, please."

"Yes sir." Will nodded before leaving the tent.

"Here we go…" Koji rolled his eyes in annoyance.

I looked to Koji and said sarcastically, "Try not to sound so excited, Koji."

* * *

><p>Moments later, the mayor was in the command tent, looking rather humbled and downtrodden, lacking a lot of the bravado he had the last time we saw him. "So this last quake destroyed the remaining buildings, leaving us without food or shelter. We can't survive without assistance."<p>

"Che, ain't that convenient." Deadeye scoffed.

Rika then elbowed his gut. "Be nice…" She chided.

"Ow…" Stevens grunted as he rubbed his side. "No need to get physical."

Brenner looked at the mayor with an uninterested look, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. In a condescending, chiding, tone, he said, "And what has this got to do with me and my soldiers?" Yeah… I think he was enjoying seeing the mayor in this position.

"Please, Brenner… Captain." The mayor pleaded. "We need your help. You have my apologies for any past–"

"Understood." Brenner said raising a hand to stop his talking. "Pack your things. You're coming with us. If we can locate that factory, there should be enough food for everyone."

"Factory?" The mayor asked a bit surprised.

"That's right. If you need details, find Dr. Morris. I deal in weapons, not test tubes. All I can tell you is, it's key to getting the food we need to survive. Clear?"

The mayor nodded emphatically. "Yes, of course. You have my gratitude." He was quiet for a few moments before hesitantly saying, "Speaking of food, my people haven't eaten in days. May I ask–?"

"Yes, yes," I replied reluctantly. "We'll feed you guys. Just know, we're low on rations, so don't expect me to be whipping out five–star gourmet cuisine. You take what you get."

"For someone who hasn't eaten for days, you look pretty well fed to me." Lin noticed.

"I–I beg your pardon?" The mayor stuttered.

Lin eyed him suspiciously as she said, "I'm rather curious as to what your villagers are carrying in all those trucks. It wouldn't happen to be provisions, would it?"

The mayor was flabbergasted. "N–No, it's merely… How dare you!? Are you implying that I'm lying!?"

"I said no such thing." Lin said. "I merely inferred from your robust condition that you've been eating–"

Growling, the mayor said angrily, "Enough! You… You uppity–!"

"Choose your next words carefully, Mr. Mayor," Koji warned, cracking his knuckles. "We're being nice, nicer than you were to us. Don't make us rescind our hospitality."

Just then, a soldier ran into the tent shouting, "Attack! We're under attack!"

Brenner looked to the mayor and said, "Gather your people and take cover in the rear. We'll continue this later if we survive."

As the mayor ran off to get his people to safety, I looked to Kabuto and asked, "Partner, is it Worms?"

"Mmmmmmmmmmmm…" Kabuto said concentrating until he said, "Oh boy… we got a lot of Salis Worms coming in…"

TheBee then said as he landed on Brenner's shoulder, "He's right, but they're not here yet. About two miles from here, but closing fast."

"Then these guys attacking must be human," Rika concluded.

Brenner nodded sternly. "Alright then, let's find out who is attacking now and deal with them quickly before those Worms arrive. Wolves, let's roll!"

"Yes sir!" We answered.

* * *

><p>As we rushed out onto the field, finding many of our soldiers already engaged in a firefight with the attackers. It turned out to once again be the Beast's mercenaries.<p>

Grumbling, Lin grabbed her rifle. "It's that same group of raiders. But how are they still operating!?"

"Not only that, they're using this poor visibility to cover their attack." Deadeye realized. "Someone must be helping them."

Stauffenburg then said in our earpieces, [_"Then you might want to try and capture one of the soldiers, see if they can tell us who."_]

"Copy that," I replied before looking to my fellow Riders as Koji and Lin went off to take command of the troops. "Shall we?"

"You know it!" Rika chirped.

"Let's kick their cans!" Deadeye smirked.

Cracking his knuckles, Brenner grinned and said, "Glad to see you're up for it. Let's go, then."

"Kabuto!"

"TheBee!"

"Drake!"

"Sasword!"

**STANDBY!**

"Yosha!" The ZECTers cheered as Kabuto and TheBee flew into mine and Brenner's hands, Drake attached to the Drake Grip and Sasword attached to the Sasword Yaiver.

"Henshin!"

**HENSHIN!**

Red, yellow, cyan, and purple hexagons of energy formed over the four of us, solidifying into our Masked Form armors. However, we didn't stay that way for long. I pulled back on Kabuto's horn slightly as Capt. Brenner flipped TheBee's wings, Deadeye pulled back on the lever of the Drake Grip, and Rika bent down Sasword's tail. "Cast Off!"

**CAST OFF!**

Multiple pieces of our armor steamed and crackled with electricity before the pieces of armor ejected out from our bodies revealing our Rider forms.

**CHANGE: BEETLE/WASP/DRAGONFLY/SCORPION!**

As we brought our weapons to the ready, I said, switching my Kunai AxGun to Ax Form, "We should probably split up. We divide and conquer, our guys should be able to beat back the Beast's men before those Worms arrive."

"Alright. Kurogasa, you and Deadeye go ahead and help Koji and Lin with the raiders. Rika and I will deal with the Worms." Brenner said.

"We're on it, Boss," Deadeye replied with a nod. "Let's go, kid. We got some mercenaries to fry!"

"You got it." I said.

**CLOCK UP!**

In the blink of an eye, the two of us rushed off to the front line to join up with our soldiers battling the Beast's men.

Meanwhile, Brenner looked to Rika and said, "Now for the Worms."

"Sasword," Rika questioned, "Can you give us a location on those Salis Worms?"

"Ehhhhhhhh, lemme see here." Sasword said concentrating before he said, "Got 'em. Bout a couple clicks west from here."

Rika nodded. "Then that's where we're going."

"Right with you, Doc," Brenner replied before tapping his Clock Up pad, just as Rika did.

**CLOCK UP!**

* * *

><p><em>"Gwar, har, har! They ain't happy to see us, roaches!" The Beast laughed. He raised a large automatic assault cannon and began firing randomly at the Rubinelle soldiers. "Let's bury–Ungh! …Ungaah… My head… s–so dizzy," he groaned as he stumbled briefly, feeling lightheaded momentarily. "Must be the medicine that freak gave me… but it feels good! My blood's on fire. The rage is burning me up!" The Beast said before his cannon again killing the Rubinelle soldiers while laughing madly. "YESSSSS! I am reborn! The Beast will not be denied! GRAAAARRR!" Sounding more like a berserker, he shouted, "The Beast will hunt! Prepare… to… DIE!"<em>

_"Is it just me, or does he seem to be angrier than usual?" Koji asked to Lin as he fired off his M-16's grenade launcher at one of the Beast's jeeps._

_"Why are you asking _me_? _You're_ the one that's getting him angry _all_ the time." Lin retorted._

_Rolling his eyes, he said, "Yeah, yeah… Not my fault I nearly shot his head off… Okay, well, yes it is…" Koji was silent for a moment before shooting at more of the Beast's men. "Sergeant Rusk, how close is Tech Platoon to setting up those mortar positions?"_

_"About 5 minutes." Rusk answered._

_"Make it three," Koji replied to his second–in–command as he opened fire again on a few mercenaries as they rushed towards their position. "We need those mortars set up, otherwise those guys are gonna overrun us!"_

_"Yes sir!" Rusk said._

_"Man, where's the backup when we need it?" Koji gritted._

* * *

><p>"HII–YAH!" I shouted as I came out of Clock Up mode and used my ax to cut down a group of the Beast's men who were attacking a platoon near Koji and Lin. Deadeye himself came out of Clock Up mode, rolled behind a rock, and joined Sniper Platoon with providing supporting fire for the battalion.<p>

Rushing over to the ridge where Koji and Lin were taking cover, I looked to them and said, "You guys look like you could use some back up. Care for the cavalry?"

"What took you so long?" Koji asked in mock anger.

"Traffic," I grinned under my mask jokingly. "Let's clean house! Clock Up!

**CLOCK UP!**

Switching my weapon to kunai mode, I rushed out and leapt at a few of the Beast's men were manning a machine gun position. Ducking under the stream of machine gun fire, nearly frozen in midair, I leapt at them and quickly took them down.

"Let's see how they like this!" Deadeye said. "Rider Shooting!" He shouted, as he folded Drake's wings and pulled it down before pulling the ZECTer's tail.

**RIDER SHOOTING!**

The electrical energy formed in front of Drake's weapon into a giant ball. The blast then fired off as Drake pulled the trigger, hitting a ridge where a few of the Beast's men were hiding. The blast exploded and collapsed the ridge, sending the soldiers rolling down the side of the cliff.

"Heh, that's how you do it." Deadeye said smugly.

I gave him a sideways glance from underneath my mask and said, "Okay, well… yeah that… that was… you know… n–not bad…"

"Oi aibou, let's not have him one–up us!" Kabuto urged.

"Huh?! Oh, u–uh, yeah, okay! Let's go then!

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

"Rider Kick!"

**RIDER KICK!**

As the electrical energy rushed down my right leg, I ran towards one of the Beast's tanks and, with a leaping roundhouse kick, tore the barrel of the main cannon right off before slamming my foot into the main part, destroying it. "BOO–YAH!"

**CLOCK OVER!**

Aw man, not now!

Of course, I would get a Clock Over when standing in the middle of the Beast's men. Time around me went to normal speed while I was in the middle of a squad of mercenaries. "Um… Hi, guys…?"

Meanwhile, a distance away, the Beast was scanning the battlefield and suddenly grinned as he saw something. "Shinamori! There he is!"

"Oh crap…" Koji muttered.

"It's finally time for me to get my revenge!" Raising his assault cannon, he leveled it at Koji and said, "You insulted my pride and injured me more than anyone else! For that, I'm gonna kill you PERSONALLY!"

"Geez, he's a broken record…" Koji muttered.

"DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!" The Beast yelled firing his cannon.

Eyes widened, Koji and Lin both dived out of the way as the stream of bullets rung past them and struck the rocks behind them. "A broken record with a _really_ big gun," Lin replied.

"Yeah…" Koji replied, still wide–eyed. As another barrage of bullets rang past, Koji regained his composure and sighed as he tightened his grip on his rifle. "Lieutenant… he's after me, not you… if I go out there and fight him… you can escape."

"And have you become a slice of bloody Swiss cheese? Nuh-uh, not happening." Lin denied.

"But, Lieutenant… Lin," Koji said seriously. The fact that he was using her name only added to it. "This guy is crazy! There's no reason both of us should feel his wrath. I can distract him. Even if it means surrendering to him… besides, Rusk and the rest of my guys should have those mortars set up."

"Shinamori… Koji, I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself!" Lin commanded as they ducked behind another rock to dodge another string of bullets. "I'm the executive officer of the 12th Battalion, meaning my job is to make sure mine and Capt. Brenner's soldiers get home safely! You're one of our soldiers, meaning your safety is my responsibility!"

"Sorry Lin, but it's for the best of our army." Koji said. "I'm doing this."

Before she could say anything else, Koji leapt from behind the rocks. Dropping his rifle, he held up his hands and dropped to his knees, putting his hands behind his head. "Beast! You want me! Here I am! I'll surrender to you… if you call off your men and let the rest of my battalion go!"

IS HE CRAZY?!

[_"Kurogasa, Deadeye,"_] I heard Rika suddenly shout in my earpiece, [_"We've got Worms heading your way! Capt. Brenner and I are following after them, but we're gonna need you guys!"_]

* * *

><p><em>"Beast, my friend," the man from before said to him over the radio, "I believe you should pull your men back. I detect that some of the aliens are heading your way."<em>

["What the heck are you talking about?!"] _The Beast demanded._

_"The Worms, the aliens in the asteroids are approaching your area. I see that Shinamori is at your mercy. Take him and pull back. You've tested my weapons enough for now."_

["Grrrrrrrrrr… fine, but you better have a good reason for me to not kill him now when I get back!"] _The Beast said before the line cut off._

* * *

><p>As I saw the Beast go to take Koji, I wanted to rush over to him, but the Beast's men who were surrounding me opened fire as they started to pull back, forcing me to retreat back to dodge their fire. "KOJI!"<p>

Deadeye rushed over to me and said, "Kururugi, we gotta go help Rika and the captain. Those Worms are almost here and they'll overrun our men if we don't help them."

"What about Koji?!" I snapped.

Deadeye grunted as he said, "There isn't much we can do right now. He's surrendering to protect the battalion. The best thing we can do right now is honor his sacrifice. Trust me, I don't like this anymore than you do." He paused to fire a few covering blasts as we made our way back to our forces. "They're taking him alive, which means he's safe, for now. We can save him later!"

I was silent for a moment before I growled, "You better be right Deadeye, because if you're wrong and Koji dies because of you telling me to save him later, I will _personally_ kill your ass!"

Deadeye sighed, "And you have my permission to. Like I said, I _don't_ like this, either. But Shinamori's _not_ gonna die! We _are_ gonna save him! But right now, Brenner and Ryusaki need us more than he does."

"Fine…" I muttered.

**CLOCK UP!**

LINE BREAK

**RIDER STING/SLASH!**

Brenner slammed his fist down on a Salis Worm with the blast also destroying two, right next to it as Rika cut through four Worms. However, while they had destroyed several, there were still more of them. "What are all these Worms doing here, anyway!? Are they nesting or something?" Rika wondered as she brought her sword up to block the attack from another Worm.

"I don't know!" Brenner said, punching another Salis Worm. "But we're still gonna destroy them all the same!"

Rika smiled under her helmet. "Glad to hear you're still optimistic, Captain." She then grunted as she got knocked back by another Worm. "…Though some reinforcements would be nice."

"And it better come quick! One of the Salis Worms is molting!" Sasword warned.

"WHAT!?" Rika and Brenner both shouted as they turned and saw that, indeed, a Worm was glowing as his exoskeleton began to crack.

"What?! What's going on?! I can't see anything!" TheBee shouted.

"That's because you're facing the other way so I can use your stinger!" Brenner snapped before the Salis Worm molted out completely to reveal its true form.

The new Worm was red, orange and black. He had two muscular human arms, each with a long hook extending from the wrists just above the hand and two strong human legs. His torso and back were protected by insectoid armor as extending from his back were eight insect–like legs. He had two stubby antennae on top of his head with glowing red insect eyes and bug's mouth. However, when the jaws opened, what seemed to be a retracted, second mouth with sharp teeth within it, like a sucker, could be seen. This was the Tick Worm.

"Ewwwwwwwwww, gross!" Rika gagged.

"I swear, these creeps just get uglier and uglier every time a new one pops up!" Brenner said with an uncomfortable groan.

"All the more reason to squash them!" Rika said.

"And the exterminators just arrived!" Deadeye shouted as he and I arrived on the scene, both of us shooting our blasters at the Worms as we approached.

"Deadeye! Kurogasa!" Brenner exclaimed.

"Boy are we glad to see you!" Rika said relieved.

"We need to finish these guys, quick," I said, all business as I converted my weapon back to Ax Mode. "Things aren't looking so good back at the battalion."

"What do you mean?" Brenner asked.

"We'll explain later," Deadeye said as he shot another Salis Worm. "Right now, let's squash these guys!"

"Right! Let's take out that Tick Worm!"

"Eh?" Deadeye and I asked before we looked and saw it. "OHHHHHH, GROSS!" We said disgusted.

The Tick Worm then rushed at me in Clocked Up speeds, tackling me to the ground. As I struggled to get it off me, its jaws opened to reveal the sucker mouth. Repeatedly, he tried to stick me with it.

"GET! OFF!" I shouted, kicking the Tick Worm's mouth away from me, sending it sprawling. I rushed to my feet as quickly as I could and switched my weapon to gun mode. "Take this!" I yelled next as I started firing at the Worm.

However, he got to his feet and ran amongst the remaining Salis Worms, using them for cover before attacking Rika next.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Rika shrieked. "RIDER SLASH!"

**RIDER SLASH!**

The purple electricity formed around the Sasword Yaiver as Rika slashed it multiple times. "TOTOMEDA!" Each slash caused purple liquid to ooze out of the sword, covering the Worm in the goop. "And now… kiero!"

However, as the ooze electrified, preparing to explode and kill the Tick Worm, in its last moments, it stuck one of the Salis Worms with its sucker. When the explosion occurred, we saw the Salis Worm, screaming in pain, turn into energy that was sucked up by the Tick Worm, repairing the damage done to it.

"MASAKA!" I shouted in disbelief.

"Of course," Brenner grunted. "Tick's feed of human blood. This Worm can feed off life force energy, then, heal itself."

"Then we'll just have to kill off the life source." Deadeye said.

Brenner nodded quickly in agreement. "Rika! Deadeye! You two keep the Tick Dopant busy! Kurogasa, you and I will take out the Salis Worms!"

"Mou~ this better be worth it in the end!" Rika complained before she and Deadeye went to attack the matured Worm.

"I got you covered, Doc," Deadeye replied as he began shooting at the Tick Worm while Rika charged in for a melee attack.

"Alright, let's do this!" I said before hitting the Clock Up pad along with Brenner doing the same.

**CLOCK UP!**

With Brenner and I, both at Clock Up speed, we began rushing forward to try and destroy the Salis Worms.

**RIDER KICK/STING!**

"Let's clean house, Kurogasa!"

"You got it! Rider Kick!" I shouted as I jumped in the air and electricity engulfed my kicking foot before kicking through a straight line of Salis Worms, the latter exploding in multiple pyres of green flames.

"Rider Sting!" Brenner shouted as he then ran towards a group of Salis Worms and landed a punch in the front one, causing an energy stinger to extend through it and pierce the Salis Worms behind it. They, too, exploded in pillars of green fire. "Alright, just a few more!"

As we tried to finish them up, Deadeye and Rika continued to hold off the Tick Worm. It knocked Rika aside and leapt at Deadeye, trying to bite him with his sucker just like it tried to do with me.

"Eat this!" Deadeye shouted, putting Drake in its mouth.

"Oi, what are you doing?!" Drake panicked. "I don't wanna get eaten!"

"Trust me!" Deadeye shouted as he pulled back on Drake's tail again.

**RIDER SHOOTING!**

"Eat this!" Deadeye shouted, shooting a blue orb of electricity at the Tick Worm's mouth, sending it flying a few meters back.

When the Worm got up, its lower jaw, the front of its neck, and a good portion of the front of its chest was blown off. "Wait a minute… That thing is still going!?"

"How is that even possible?!" Rika exclaimed.

"It must have been able to survive from the energy it devoured from that Salis Worm!" Deadeye speculated.

"Ahhhh, mou~!" Rika yelled before charging in at the Tick Worm.

**RIDER SLASH!**

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Rika yelled as she repeatedly slashed the Tick Worm like crazy! Heck, it's almost Speedy Gonzalez like! "JUST DIE! DIE! DIE, YOU UGLY, SLIMY, CREEPY, WORM!"

The Tick Worm had its body all cut up as Rika finished her attack. It stumbled about, nearly falling apart as it struggled to reach one of the three remaining Salis Worms to try and revive itself to full strength.

"Kuro! Kill this thing already!" Rika shouted.

"Captain? Together?"

"Together."

**RIDER KICK/STING!**

"Rider Kick!"

"Rider Sting!"

I ran up first, going past the Tick Worm to give him my Rider Kick from behind, bisecting his waist and sending him flying towards Capt. Brenner as Stevens and Rika went to finish off the remaining Salis Worms. Leaping into the air, Brenner then slammed his fist into what was left of the Tick Worm, causing the explosion that finally killed the thing.

"Finally…" I sighed heavily in relief.

With the battle finally over, the four of us came together. "Now that that is over," Brenner stated, "Deadeye… Kurogasa… mind telling me what trouble the battalion had?"

"Uh… well sir…" Deadeye began, trying to say it, but couldn't.

"Koji surrendered himself to the Beast to protect the battalion…" I gritted.

"WHAT?!" Brenner and Rika asked shocked.

My fists clenched so tightly, I could practically hear the metal bending. "He knew how badly the Beast wants revenge against him for nearly killing him and injuring him so many times, so he surrendered in exchange for the Beast's promise to retreat."

"And you just let him do that?!" Rika shrieked, grabbing me by the shoulders.

"What do you _want_ me to do Rika?!" I snapped. Pushing her hands off my shoulders, I said, "I didn't have a choice! My way was blocked! I wanted to save him and–!"

"I stopped him," Deadeye said with a mix of frustration and regret. "Right at that time, we got the call from you guys about this swarm of Worms. I figured it was better to help you guys, knowing this many Worms would rip the whole battalion apart, and go after Koji afterwards. The Beast wants him alive for now. I didn't like having to make the choice, but I had to make a judgment call."

"Well… this went from bad to worse…" Brenner sighed.

Rika began pacing as she stabbed the Sasword Yaiver into the ground, her hands opening and closing repeatedly as she walked about frantically. "No, no, no… this is bad… No, no, no… Koji, he… he's… the Beast, he'll… he's gonna do worse than kill Koji, I know it!"

"Rika, calm down!" I said holding her shoulders again.

"But, Kurogasa, this is Koji! If anything happens to him, I'll… I'll…!" Then, still in her armor, she collapsed into my arms and began crying.

Dang it…

* * *

><p>We returned to base after defeating the Worms and found the Wolves were… less than motivated. After seeing the capture of SSgt. Koji Shinamori, one of the most beloved members of the 12th Battalion, captured by the man who had been biggest thorn in the battalion's side since the asteroid impact, had really demoralized them.<p>

"I should've stopped him." Lin said in regret.

"There was nothing you could've done Lin…" I muttered.

"You did what you had to for the good of the battalion as a whole," Brenner replied, putting his hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault."

Deadeye stepped forward and immediately said, "Sir, I volunteer to take Sniper Platoon to immediately recover Staff Sergeant Shinamori."

"Negative, Sergeant," Brenner replied with a shake of his head. "As much as I appreciate your willingness, we can't risk you guys going on your own."

"Captain Brenner," Dr. Morris said as he came into the command tent, "Do you have a moment?"

Brenner then walked up to him. "What is it Doc?"

Sighing, Morris said, drumming his fingers on his clipboard, "It's Isabella… I believe she has fallen ill to the flower virus we witnessed before."

"What?!" We all gasped.

"Yes. Will noticed it and told me so now Isabella is put in isolation."

I looked to Rika who seemed distant and said, "Rika… what do you think?"

"H–Huh? What?" Rika asked, startled.

"Rika…" I said sadly. "I think you should check on Isabella. You _are_ the unit's doctor."

"Um… Y–Yes… Right, I'll–uh… uh, go check on her right now," Rika replied with a sullen stammer. "Dr. Morris, I'll, uh… need to know everything we have about that virus."

"Yes, right this way." Dr. Morris said unaware of her emotional condition before the two left.

"She's still out of it." Deadeye noticed.

"Can you blame her?" I asked.

Brenner groaned as he plopped down on a crate and rubbed his temples. "This sucks… we need to get Koji back, and now we need to worry about this virus…"

"On the bright side, it's not gonna affect those older than Isabella." Kabuto commented.

"Kabuto, you're not helping…" I deadpanned.

"Sorry…" Kabuto deflated.

Deadeye looked to me as Drake landed on his shoulder. "There's got to be something we can do. We have to get Koji back before the Beast executes him."

"Well, we don't have any good ideas right now." Deadeye stated. "All we can do… is wait and see how this unfolds."

"Maybe not…" I said as I thought about it. "Captain, I know you were worried about Deadeye and the Sniper Platoon going on their own, but… what about the three of us going after Koji?"

"Out of the question." Brenner said, standing up. "Doing a rescue mission like that will only lead to our deaths."

"But, Captain! _Not_ performing a rescue mission will only lead to Koji's death!" I retorted. "There's no telling how long the Beast will wait before executing him!" Clenching my fists tightly, I said, "Sir… please don't make me lose my best friend."

Brenner was silent for a while before saying, "You sure about this?"

I nodded slowly. "I'm sure of it. With the three of us, Clocked Up, we can do it."

"I have to agree with him, Captain," Deadeye added, crossing his arms. "Besides, Brenner's Wolves don't leave one of their own behind. We owe it to Koji. He risked his life to save all of ours, now we owe him the same."

Brenner was silent again before saying, "Well then what are we waiting for? Let's save him."

Deadeye and I both grinned to each other before the three of us bumped fists together. "Alright, Captain!" Deadeye shouted.

"Let's go save Koji!" TheBee shouted happily as he flew around our heads excitedly.

"They won't know what hit him!" Drake said.

"Ikuze, ikuze, ikuze!" Kabuto cheered.

* * *

><p><em>*BAM!*<em>

_Koji, tied to a chair, fell to the ground after another one of the Beast's men punched him across the face. He was already bloodied and bruised from the repeated beatings the mercenary's soldiers had given him, but he only remained silent or replied with a snarky comment._

_"Resilient fellow, isn't he?" The mysterious scientist from before asked as he stood with the Beast, watching the torture from afar._

_"Why can't I kill him already?!" The Beast demanded._

_"All in due time." The scientist chuckled. "I'm in the middle of my experiment you see. I want to see how long a man can last when he is being tortured."_

_Smirking, he said, "Besides, don't you find it more enjoyable to cause him real agony rather than a quick and painless death?" He then handed the Beast a large briefcase. "In here are some drugs I'd like to test on him: hallucinogens to induce terrifying hallucinations, poisons that make him feel like he is drowning and others. Interested in trying them out?"_

_The Beast thought about it. While it takes longer for Koji to have him be killed, he _did_ entertain the thought of torturing him for as long as he wanted. After all, he needed Koji to pay for almost shooting off his head._

_"You have a deal!" The Beast grinned evilly as he held the briefcase closely. "Oh, I am gonna enjoy this."_

_Just then, a jeep pulled up with mysteriously dressed men carrying some kind of container. "Ah," the scientist said with dark glee, "They've found it."_

_The men came up to the scientist and one of them said, "Here is the item you requested." The man holding the case opened it up to reveal a dark blue mechanical stag beetle chained up._

_"Hey! Let me go! Let me go!" The blue mechanical stag beetle shouted. "You have any idea who you're dealing with?!"_

_"Yes, indeed I do," the scientist said with a grin, "You are the key to my next experiment."_

* * *

><p><strong>SD:<strong> Kris, did you SEE that new chapter!? It was amazing! It was given to me by the heavens! *Looks to the sky as the sun shines down and an angelic chorus sings out*

**Fen:** Uh… what are you doing man?

**SD:** SILENCE!

**Fen:** Dude, you DO know that I wrote it right?

**SD:** *Eyes widen* Wha–What…?

**Fen:** C'mon, my writing style should be obvious to you. I thought you'd figure out by now who wrote it.

**SD:** …EVERYTHING I KNOW IS A LIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! *runs around in overly comedic style, anime tears pouring out of eyes*

**Fen:** Ugh… anyways, yeah, I wrote it. I recently got a job, so thanks to getting a job and my parents backing off a bit, this story is off the indefinite hiatus list.

**SD:** *yelling from afar* HOW DO WE KNOW 'THAT' ISN'T A LIE!?

**Fen:** Check my profile… –_–;

**SD:** HOW DO WE KNOW 'THAT' ISN'T A LIE, EITHER!?

**Fen:** Just check it…

**SD:** I STILL DON'T BELIEVE YOU! EVERYTHING IS A LIE! IT'S ALL A–!

**Koji:** SNAP! OUT! OF! IT! *Slaps SD with one of his platform shoes on each word* …Better?

**SD:** …Better.

**Fen:** Now check my profile.

**SD:** *Checks* Oh… *Curls up in corner in shame, wearing dunce cap*

**Fen:** Mhmm. Long story short, Kabuto is going to be updated again! ^^ See ya next chapter!

**SD:** Hey, wait a minute! I recognize MY writing in here, too! How did my writing get in there if I… didn't… know… we were… gonna…? …AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! *runs off in terror*

**Fen:** *shakes head* This is what happens when he drinks too much Dr. Pepper.


	9. Chapter 9: The Beast

**Fen:** What up people?! Fen and SD here for another chapter of Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin!

**SD:** Last chapter, we ended with quite a cliffhanger: Isabella fell sick to the Creeping Derangea and Koji was captured by the Beast after sacrificing himself to protect the battalion.

**Fen:** So now it's a race against time to rescue Koji from the Beast and Isabella from the disease!

**SD:** But unfortunately, that won't be easy, because the Beast has found himself a new and mysterious ally. Luckily, Koji is going to get a new ally of his own to even the odds.

**Fen: **So let's do this thing!

**Both:** Henshin!

**HENSHIN! **

**Both: **Cast Off!

**CAST OFF!**

**CHANGE: BEETLE/STAG BEETLE!**

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

><p><em>After the last fight with the Beast and the Worm attack, things were not going well for the Wolves… In fact, that was an understatement. One of their senior leaders, Staff Sergeant Koji Shinamori of Tech Platoon, had been captured by the Beast. Along with that, Isabella, the young girl with the mysterious past, the battalion found, had fallen ill to the dangerous virus, Creeping Derangea.<em>

_As of right now, Will was sitting on a rock by himself, just a little ways away from camp. He was stewing in depression as he thought about what happened. The thing was, Will saw that Isabella was infected and the most despicable thing he did… was run away._

_Capt. Brenner, the battalion commander and Kamen Rider TheBee, was pacing around the base with anxiety. He and two of the other three Riders would be going on a secret rescue mission to recover Shinamori. Out beyond the fence, he noticed Will sitting on the rock. "Will?" He asked as he approached the young military cadet. "What are you doing out here all alone?"_

_Will turned to see him before turning back to watch the horizon. "Nothing. I'm just…"_

_"I know you're worried about Isabella." Brenner said as he approached and sat next to him. "That's a normal reaction. But listen, I don't want you to lose hope. As long as there's life-"_

_"I ran away." Will interrupted. "I… I ran away from her."_

_The captain looked to his young protégé in confusion. "What are you talking about?"_

_"When I knew…" Will began. "When I knew Isabella was sick. I didn't go to her. I didn't want to get sick too. I was only thinking about myself. She was really scared, you know? I could see it in her eyes. She wanted me to help her, but…" He hung his head low. "…I ran away."_

_"You did the right thing, Will." Brenner said. "If you'd gone to her, if you'd come into contact with her, you'd be in quarantine too."_

_"But you would have stayed with her, Captain!" Will protested. "You help people. That's what you do. You're committed. You're not like me…"_

_"I've spent more time running than you'll ever know, kid. Heck, I'm STILL running."_

_"What do you mean?" Will asked confused._

_Brenner sighed as he looked away from Will and out to the horizon. "All the people I couldn't help, all the soldiers who died because I wasn't good enough…" He ran a hand through his hair as he took a moment to breathe. "I've spent many a sleepless night telling myself it couldn't be helped, that I did all I could." Smiling sadly, he shook his head and said, "That's just the sound of me running, Will. Running from a past I'll never escape."_

_"Oh…" Will got out. _

_Brenner couldn't resist a chuckle at Will's response. "You disappointed? I was hoping I could protect the illusion for you." He went silent for what seemed like forever before putting his hand on Will's shoulder. "No matter how I grieve or regret my actions, the men who've died because of me will still be dead. But Isabella's still alive. You've got nothing to regret. There's plenty you can still do, right? For her?"_

_As he said those words, he then thought, 'Just like there's still plenty I can do for Koji because he is alive… I hope.'_

_Will shook him out of his thoughts as a determined smile came to his face. Leaping to his feet, he came to attention and saluted sharply. "Sir… Yes, Sir!"_

_Brenner chuckled again as he said, "Just remember Will. Where there's life…"_

_"There's hope!" Will finished._

* * *

><p><strong>(Cue Theme D–Technolife by UVERworld)<strong>

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi yo)** The scenery is a barren wasteland, with a sky that blotted out the sun. The camera pans slowly to the right as Kurogasa, with his back facing the camera, looks at the barren wasteland on top of a cliff.  
><strong>(Kesenai kako mo seoiatteikou ikiru koto o nagedasanai de)<strong> The camera then suddenly changes to a close up of Kurogasa's face before it went around his head, the camera's view being blocked momentarily when it reached the back of his head and when the camera finally circles to the side of his face, it showed Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Kabuto, before panning out showing him in his full armor. Looking up at the sky, a ray of light suddenly burst through the clouds shining on Kabuto before the screen goes white.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] tsunaida kimi no te o)** The title Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin appears on the screen and just before the song enters the next phrase, the ZECTers flew, crawled, and hopped around the title from behind and jumped towards the screen before changing to the next scene.

**(Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana)** Koji sits on the edge of his bed, sadly looking at his guitar on one side, his rifle on the other, as Gatack flew up and lands on his shoulder.  
><strong>(Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara)<strong> Rika was in the medical wing of the base, sighing and wiping sweat off her brow as she tries to organize her medical supplies, Sasword crawling around on a table while Brenner, Lin, Isabella, and Will were discussing plans for their next move.

**(Hibiku~ boku wo yobu koe sae kare)** Kurogasa was cooking and Kabuto watched on his shoulder before Kurogasa noticed something from afar on the horizon.  
><strong>(Toki ni sou kaze ni kakikesaretatte)<strong> Drake and TheBee fly past him as we see what Kurogasa was looking out: a swarm of Salis Worms flanking Dr. Caulder with Admiral Greyfield, Waylon, showing up one end of the battlefield along with Tasha and Gage on another end and they sending out their troops alerting the 12th Platoon.

**(Kimi wo mitsu–ke–da–su)** Kurogasa grabs Kabuto and transforms into Kamen Rider Kabuto, before casting off his armor and charging towards Dr. Caulder.

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi mou)** Dr. Caulder snaps his fingers and Kamen Rider Punch and Kick Hopper appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Kabuto for an attack only for the latter to dodge before going to attack them.  
><strong>(Waraenai nante, hito kirai nante kotoba sou iwanaide)<strong> Koji transforms into Kamen Rider Gatack and leads the Tech Platoon with their heavy weapons attacking some of the Salis Worms as Brenner transforms into Kamen Rider TheBee and he, Lin, and Will attack the rest of the forces.  
><strong>(Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara)<strong> Rika and David "Deadeye" Stevens transforms into Kamen Rider Sasword and Kamen Rider Drake respectively and attack some of the Salis Worms.  
><strong>(Ima wa sono mama de ii, kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou [WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH])<strong> As Kurogasa battles Punch Hopper and Kick Hopper, Caulder surprisingly joins in and transforms into Kamen Rider Caucasus, going to punch Kurogasa, only for the latter to dodge and he and Caulder stared each other down.

**(You and Me, two have spoken.)** The Hyper ZECTer appears from the distortion of time and Kurogasa grabs it to become Hyper Kabuto.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] Itsuka wakariaeru kara)** Kurogasa then grabs the Perfect ZECTer and he and Caucasus leap at each other, their attack causing a huge flash of light. When the light fades, we see Kurogasa, Koji, Rika, Brenner, Will, Lin, Isabella, Tasha, Gage, and Stauffenburg looking out into the sunset, the ZECTers with them as well before the song ends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: The Beast<p>

The night before, Deadeye, Brenner, and I had worked out our plan to infiltrate the Beast's camp and rescue Koji. We chose not to include Rika because we wanted to keep one Rider at OUR base in case the Worms attacked, and we were worried that Rika might be a little irrational when we go to save him.

As of now, I was in my tent, getting my stuff ready for our secret mission, making sure I got everything.

"Going somewhere?" A voice asked. I turned to see Lin at the entrance of my tent.

"L–Lin… What are you doing here?" I asked in surprise.

"Brenner told me where you guys are going," she stated flatly as she came in. "He's ordered me to take the rest of the battalion to the facility where we believe that we can find a cure for Isabella's disease."

"Oh… h–he did huh?" I asked.

"Yes he did." Lin answered. "Kurogasa, do you know what you're doing?"

I then was a bit serious as I said, "I know what I'm doing Lin. I'm saving Koji."

Lin looked at me for a few moments before saying, "…Alright then." She stared at me for a few moments more before saying, "Koji is someone I consider a friend. But I can only imagine how important he is to you."

"Very important." I said. "He's like a brother to me and Rika. We've been through everything together, no matter what the obstacles were."

Lin couldn't help but smile. "I think Rika sees him as MORE than just a brother."

"Heh, well you got THAT part ri– whoa, whoa, whoa, what?"

The lieutenant shrugged. "They've been with the battalion longer than you have. You start to notice things when you work with people all the time."

"Oh…" I said dumbfounded, making Lin chuckle.

"But all that aside," Lin said before approaching me and placing a hand on my shoulder. "Just be careful alright? Don't do anything stupid."

I couldn't help but blush slightly at Lin's words. However, putting on a brave face, I placed my hand on top of hers and said, "I will. Promise."

"Hey Kurogasa," I heard Deadeye as… he came in... "We need to– am I interrupting something?"

I got freaked out and said, worriedly, "D–Deadeye… I, uh… Oh boy, I… I, uh… can explain! I–um–!"

"Oh really?" Deadeye grinned. "Let's hear you explain your way out of–"

"Sgt. Stevens," Lin said, giving him a dark, terrifying glare, "I suggest you shut up and not repeat anything you just saw, that is of course unless you DON'T want to have children…"

Deadeye flinched at that and gulped saying, "Uh, you won't hear anything from me."

"Smart man," Lin said before returning to normal. "Now then, what did you want to tell Mr. Kururugi?"

"Um, I was about to tell him that we're about to head out."

I nodded as I stepped away from Lin to go and grab my gear. "Got it. I'll meet you and Brenner at the base perimeter in a minute."

"BRENNER! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!"

Uh–oh… it's the Mayor. What does he want NOW?

The three of us looked to each other and groaned. "This day could not get any worse."

* * *

><p>When we reached the base gate, we found the mayor come stomping up to Brenner who was already there with Dr. Stauffenburg, Dr. Morris, Will, and a still distraught Rika. "Brenner!" The mayor shouted. "I need to talk to you! Is it true the girl traveling with you is sick?"<p>

Brenner sighed, rubbing his temples as he said, "Yes, it's true. It's nothing you need to worry about, though. The virus only affects people under a certain age. No one in your group is in danger."

"That's not the point!" The Mayor snapped. "Sickness and disease make people nervous, and nervous people panic. We can't have that! You've got to get rid of her. We can't afford the risk."

Deadeye quirked an eyebrow with a scowl. "'We' can't afford the risk? Or 'you' can't afford the risk? What's the matter, Mr. Mayor? Afraid of your people abandoning you?"

"You need to stop talking now." Brenner frowned. "We're in this together. All of us. Is that clear?"

"No, it's not!" The Mayor yelled. "Would you put us all in danger to protect one girl? We don't know who she is or where she came from! She has to go, Brenner!"

Angrily, I walked up to the mayor and said, "You don't get to make that decision! You may not have noticed, but we don't abandon people. We help them. And we are NOT going to abandon Isabella. She is one of us."

"Exactly." Brenner said. "No one gets left behind. Not you, or your people, not Will, and not Isabella. If you have a problem with that, you're free to leave whenever you want."

The mayor looked like his head was about to explode. "You… You fool! You're too soft, Brenner! If this goes wrong, it's on your head! I'll hold you personally responsible!"

Deadeye gave the mayor a disbelieving look. "Please explain to me just how you plan to do that."

The mayor angrily flushed red at Deadeye's calling his bluff. Huffing, he turned and walked away, mumbling to himself.

"Geez, what's _his_ problem?" I muttered.

Stauffenburg shrugged as he said, "Someone must have peed in his Cheerios this morning."

"That's not painting a good image…" I sweat dropped.

I then saw Rika standing there, still distressed. As everyone started to go off, I went over to her. "Rika… you alright?"

"I'd be lying if I said yes…" Rika murmured.

I bit my lip slightly nervously. Finally, I took a deep breath and said, "We're going to get him back. Brenner, Deadeye, and I."

"I know but… I should be helping you guys too."

"No, Rika." I shook my head. "Not with your condition. And besides, we need at least one Rider to stay behind and help out the battalion."

Rika sighed and nodded as she leaned against me. "You're right… I just wish you weren't, heh…"

"Rika…" I said sadly.

"It's okay, I understand." Rika said, before she hugged me tightly saying, "Just promise me, you'll bring him back alive… okay…?"

Hugging Rika back tightly, I said, "I promise. He's the closest thing I have to a brother."

Rika then kissed my cheek and said, "And you better come back alive, too."

"I will." I smiled gently.

* * *

><p><em>"Hah… hah… hah… hah… hah…" Koji panted, still tied to the chair after the latest drug that was injected in him was out of his system. The young soldier's body was covered in bruises and he was bleeding from several spots. At that moment, though, was just happy to be breathing. The last drug had made Koji feel like he was drowning and yet he was nowhere near water.<em>

_"Such a resilient man… very interesting…" the mysterious scientist said intrigued as he wrote down his findings on a notepad._

_The Beast, though, growled as he clenched his own arms tightly. "Can I PLEASE kill him now!? It's about time I gave him what's coming to him."_

_The scientist chuckled, "Oh, but I have so many other drugs you can try out."_

_"Like what?" The Beast asked curiously._

_"For starters, there is one drug that makes his entire body feel like it is on fire."_

_The Beast had to smile at that one. "That DOES sound fun."_

_"Heh, I thought you might find that intriguing," the scientist explained. "I also have one that will make him feel like insects are crawling in his skin and many, many others."_

_*BZZZZZZT!*_

_The Beast turned then to see two of the scientist's men working on the ZECTer Gatack. "And speaking of insects, what are you doing with that metal bug?"_

_"Oh just an experiment I'm working on the side." The scientist waved off, "You needn't worry about it."_

_The Beast snorted in response. "Suit yourself." Then, as he looked at more of the drugs in the briefcase, a wonderfully malicious idea came to mind. "I wonder what would happen if I gave the roach more than one at the same time."_

_"Go ahead. All my drugs are compatible with each other when mixed."_

_"AHAHA! Now we're talking!" The Beast declared proudly as he grabbed five of the remaining syringes and went to the room Koji was being held in._

_"Hmhmhmhmhm… now then…" the scientist said walking over to his henchmen working on the blue mechanical beetle, "Let's see the progress of my latest experiment."_

_Gatack groaned as he received another shock when the scientist approached. "Y–Y–Y–You'll n–n–nnn–never get away–ay with this–AH!" Gatack shouted._

_"Oh but I am." The scientist chuckled. "You're the latest of the ZECTers. With your data, I will create something not even ZECT can ever perfect!"_

_Gatack grunted in pain, his pincers chattering. "I w–won't let you take my–my–my data–ta–ta–ta…"_

_"What do you think the shocks you're feeling are for?"_

_Gatack couldn't say anything in response as he was shocked again by the scientist._

_Meanwhile, Koji gave a defiant grunt when the Beast came into the holding cell. "You know you… run one lousy hotel?" Spitting blood at his feet, Koji said, "You should teach your staff… better manners."_

_The Beast grumbled as he grabbed Koji by the collar and pulled him up. "You should take your own advice, roach!"_

_*BAM!*_

_Koji went tumbling back to the ground after the punch to the jaw. "You've insulted me for the last time, punk!" He then showed him the five drugs of the scientist's he had to inject Koji with: burning flesh, bugs under the skin, hallucination, flesh freezing, and shock. "I'm gonna enjoy watching these drugs kill you. Then, I'll go and squash your friends!"_

_"Gh…!" Koji flinched as the Beast slowly approached him._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, back at camp, Will was talking to Dr. Morris about Isabella's condition. "How's Isabella doing, Dr. Morris?" Will asked.<em>

_Dr. Morris sighed as he said. "You're going to worry no matter what I tell you, so here's the truth. It's not good, Will. She needs medicine, and she needs it now."_

_"Can I see her?" Will asked._

_"Absolutely not!" Dr. Morris snapped. "We've had this conversation before. This virus is most dangerous to people of your age. I won't allow you to see her."_

_"But, Dr. Morris, I–"_

_"Once we get to the shelter, there's a good chance I'll be able to treat her. But until then you have to stay away. You don't want to get sick too, do you?"_

_"I don't care! What would it matter anyway? If I don't see her now, I may never get the chance to apologize. So please…"_

_"Your apology can wait, boy." Dr. Morris said. "I'm more concerned with her well–being, and you should be too."_

_"What's that supposed to mean?" Will asked confused._

_Dr. Morris was silent for a while before saying, "I don't wish to betray doctor–patient confidentiality, but I have spoken to her. What's troubling her most is the fear that she's become a burden to us; she thinks it would be better if she'd died before you found her,"_

_Will looked really shocked, "How can she think that?!"_

_"But she hasn't given up hope." Dr. Morris interrupted. "She never even complains about the pain. The other Creeper patients I've treated have all begged me to… end their suffering. But Isabella has chosen to live. And do you know why? It's because she owes that life to you."_

_Will didn't know what to say._

_Dr. Morris then replied, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, "She believes that if she refuses to give up, we'll find a way to cure her. Her first memory is of you telling her she was going to be all right. She trusts you implicitly, the way a newly hatched chick trusts its mother. She believes everything you told her about having hope. I suggest you believe it, too."_

_Will was silent for a moment longer before saying, "You… you're right. I'm sorry, Dr. Morris. Thank you."_

_"No need to apologize." Dr. Morris waved off. "Now I can't allow you to see her, but… Oh ho! Yes, you could try speaking to her through the door."_

_"Really? Would that be okay?" Will perked a bit._

_"Certainly. Just for a little while, though."_

* * *

><p>"…This route will take us directly to the Seratta Mountains," Lin explained to Brenner, Deadeye, and I. "But the Beast's men have set up an ambush there."<p>

Brenner nodded and said, "Well, that should make iy easier for us to go in and get Koji. Lin, if you guys can make your way up to the factory that way and keep them busy, we can grab Koji and then set up a sneak attack of our own to help you guys."

"We can do that." Lin nodded.

"And this airport here the scouts found report that it is in fine working condition. You can produce new air units whenever you need them!" Dr. Morris added pointing to an airfield not far from our location.

"Air units, eh?" Deadeye replied with a nod. "That could be useful, assuming we have air force guys able to pilot them."

"We do." I said. "The pilots that Waylon decided to leave behind for us to take care of."

"Outstanding," Brenner replied excitedly. "Alright, if they have helicopters, have one on standby. We can use that to evacuate Koji when we find him." He then got a little more worried as he said, "What about Isabella, Rika? Have you and Dr. Morris been able to work up anything for her?"

"Unfortunately, not yet." Rika said regretfully.

Dr. Morris nodded sadly in agreement. "Indeed. The only way I can create a potential cure is in that factory."

"Then we better move out now. The sooner the better." I said.

"He's right. We have to–" Dr. Stauffenburg began, but then one of his devices started beeping and he looked at it. "Hm? What's– AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Doc! Doc, what is it!?" I shouted. "What's making that noise!?"

"My ZECTer Detector! Gatack is around here!"

"EHHH!?" We all shouted in disbelief.

"Gatack!? Where is he!?" Kabuto shouted excitedly.

"We've been looking all over for that whippersnapper," Sasword concurred.

"C'mon, c'mon tell us!" TheBee urged.

"If you let him talk, he'll tell us!" Drake snapped.

Stauffenburg began pressing several buttons on his device, his fingers moving so fast it looked like he had a million of them. When he finally stopped, he looked scared and gulped. "He's… He's in the Beast's camp."

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" We all asked shocked.

"NOOOOOO! GATACK! OUR LITTLE BUDDY!" All the ZECTers shouted, starting to cry.

"Will you calm down?!" I snapped. "We're gonna save him along with Koji!"

Drake sniffled as he looked to Deadeye and said, "You guys promise? He's the newest of us. He's like our baby brother…

"Don't worry, we'll save him." Deadeye sighed. "Just stop bawling."

"O–Okay," Deadeye said as he landed on Deadeye's shoulder.

Sasword, who was on Rika's shoulder, wiped his eyes with one of his claws and said, "I wasn't bawling. This old ZECTer was just leaking coolant."

"Sure you were," I deadpanned.

Brenner coughed intentionally to get our attention. "Alright, we need to move out now. Kurogasa, Deadeye, and I will go after Koji and Gatack. Lt. Lin will take the rest of the battalion to the factory with Dr. Ryusaki supporting as Rider."

"Yes sir." We all nodded.

"I'll go with." Dr. Stauffenburg said. "You'll need me if we're to find Gatack."

My face became filled with doubt at the former ZECT scientist's words. "You sure about that, Doc? Chances are we're gonna get into a fight at some point."

"Oh don't worry, I came up with a couple inventions I made to defend myself, so it's all good!"

Patting Stauffenburg on the back, Deadeye then said, "Don't worry, Doc. If nothing else, you can keep behind cover with me and I'll cover your six."

"Thank you." Dr. Stauffenburg nodded.

"Alright, let's move out now!" Brenner ordered.

* * *

><p><em>It seemed like days, but in truth, it had been two hours when the drugs had finally left his system. He was laying on the floor of his cell, shivering, covered in sweat and blood as he tried to keep from breaking down as he returned to normal.<em>

_"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! THE DRUGS AREN'T KILLING HIM!" The Beast roared._

_He practically ripped the briefcase in half, trying to find more, only to find that all the drugs were used up. The scientist simply shrugged and said, "I never promised they'd kill him. I simply said you could use them to make him suffer before dying."_

_The Beast grumbled at the scientist. "You roach… I oughta kill you."_

_"Come now, Sergeant," the scientist said in a patronizing tone, the use of the term "sergeant" annoying Beast, "You must admit you enjoyed seeing him in all that pain at least. And I got to see how those drugs affected him. It's a win–win. You can kill him now yourself, if you wish."_

_"Che…" the Beast scoffed._

_Just then, a raider came running to them. "Sir! We're under attack! The 12th Battalion is coming at us with copters, jets, bombers, and tanks!"_

_"WHAT!?" The Beast shouted._

_"They're heading towards that factory we discovered with all the supplies!"_

_Growling angrily, the Beast threw a nearby chair into a pile of crates, sending them crashing down. "Send out as many of our remaining troops as we can! Leave the fewest number of roaches here we can to protect the base! Meanwhile…" His knuckles then cracked. "…I'm finally gonna execute Sergeant Shinamori."_

_"NOT WHILE I'M AROUND!"_

_The Beast and the scientist looked to the chained up ZECTer when he made his shout. With a snorting laugh, the Beast said, "What are you gonna do?"_

_"THIS!"_

_*CHINK! CHINK!*_

_Gatack managed to somehow break the chains with his pincers, and flew towards the Beast to crash into his face._

_"OWWWW! MY FACE! YOU HIT MY FACE!" The Beast shouted as he grabbed Gatack and tossed him against the wall. "You stupid little roach! I am gonna squash you!"_

_*BAM!*_

_"Ow…" Gatack groaned after hitting the wall and fell next to Koji._

_Koji blinked a few times when he saw the ZECTer land next to him in his cell. He tried to speak, but at first, he coughed up some blood. When he finally came to, he asked, "G–Gat… ack?"_

_"How do you kn–know me?" Gatack asked in surprise._

_"Your… ZECTer buddies… are looking for ya."_

_"My… friends?" Gatack whispered painfully._

_Nodding slowly and painfully, Koji smiled as best he could. "K–Kabuto, TheBee, D–Drake, and… S–Sasword… my friends have them."_

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah… what do you say…? We partner up… and get ourselves out… of this place…"_

_Gatack was silent as he examined Koji. "…They tortured you?"_

_"Yeah…"_

_"And yet… you're still strong enough to resist," Gatack mused before chuckling. "I like you. What's your name?"_

_"Koji… Shinamori…"_

_Gatack gave a small nod. "I see. Well… Koji Shinamori… I'd love to partner up with you. Unfortunately, without my… Rider Belt… we can't transform."_

_Koji cursed under his breath. "There's always a catch." He then coughed again, rolling onto his side. However, he gulped painfully when he saw the Beast nod to the scientist before walking down the stairs towards Koji's cell. He was carrying a machete. "Uh–oh…"_

_"What is it?" Gatack asked._

_"We're in big trouble," Koji got out._

* * *

><p>"…Mhmm… Mhmm… copy that," Brenner said, he, Deadeye, and I in Masked Form with Stauffenburg in some experimental armor, examining the Beast's outpost. "Understood, Lieutenant. We'll start our op now, then." Letting go of the "talk" button on his radio, he then said, "The battalion has engaged the Beast's men in the mountain pass. Most of his forces have been drawn out. We should be good to move in."<p>

"Yeah, we better cast off the armor and be fast and quick about it." I agreed.

Deadeye took a look over the outpost with his binoculars. "Shouldn't be too difficult to go stealthy. There's only a few guards, about two dozen or so. No sign of Shinamori, though. Doc, you detecting Gatack's signal?"

"Yep. It's very strong." Dr. Stauffenburg said, looking at his device.

"How exact a location can you get?" I inquired.

"Very exact. Gatack's signal is at an abandoned warehouse just 500 yards from here."

Deadeye picked up his binoculars again and scanned the outpost quickly. "I think I see it. There, the bigger one at the west end."

"Then that's where we're going." I said, before grabbing Kabuto's horn. "Cast off!"

**CAST OFF!**

Brenner and Deadeye also activated the Cast Off functions of their suits as their outer armor and mine ejected.

**CHANGE: BEETLE/WASP/DRAGONFLY!**

"Clock up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

The three of us entered Clock Up mode with me carrying Dr. Stauffenburg as we rushed towards the warehouse. We entered the outpost just as the ZECTers Clocked Over. Taking cover outside the warehouse behind a large oil drum, Brenner said, "Doc, Gatack's definitely in there?"

"Oh yeah, the signal is definitely strong."

"What about Koji?" I asked, worriedly.

"That I don't know, we have to actually get in the warehouse."

I sighed as my fists tightened, clenching open and closed a few times.

Brenner placed his hand on my shoulder to calm me down. "Let's go. Drake, you cover the doctor while he goes after Gatack. Kabuto and I will track down Shinamori."

"Yes sir." Deadeye nodded. "Let's go Doc."

"Ri–Right," Stauffenburg said nervously as he followed after Drake, going in the door first.

"Let's go, Kurogasa," Brenner ordered.

"I've got your six, Captain," I replied as we went in the door after them. We crept through the building trying our best to avoid detection and not get caught. Every now and then we'd run into a patrolling raider and Brenner or Deadeye silently knock them unconscious and drag their bodies somewhere where the other guards won't see them.

As we made our way through, I looked and saw the Beast head towards what looked like a holding cell with a machete in his hand. "What the–?"

"Looks like he's going to chop someone up," Deadeye muttered.

My eyes widened under my mask. "Koji! That's gotta be him! And that means–! Oh no…"

"Don't say another word." Brenner said before hitting the Clock Up pad.

**CLOCK UP!**

Up in the control room, though, just as we Clocked Up, someone was watching us. "Ah, they're here." Nodding to two of his men, he gestured and said before we went to lightspeed, "Ready your disruptors. Let's test them."

What?! Disruptors?!

Suddenly, the two strangely armored men leveled these strange looking guns that looked like something out of a sci–fi movie at us. Firing them, what appeared to be sonic waves were released. It disrupted our movements momentarily before… we were already Clocked Over?! What the heck?!

We returned to real time as the Beast looked to the side and saw us. "YOU!"

"G–Guys…?" I heard a voice whisper painfully.

"KOJI!"

"How did you get in here?!" The Beast demanded. "MEN! KILL THESE ROACHES!" Alongside the two strangely armored men, several of the Beast's men popped up, pointing heavy weapons at us. "Destroy them while I cut my special roach to bits!"

"Darn it!" Brenner gritted.

Meanwhile, I looked up to the control room and said, "Guys, cover me! I'm gonna get whoever's up there!"

Deadeye fired several shots to clear a path for me. Brenner then said, "I'm going after Koji!"

"No you're not!" The Beast shouted as he was about to slash Brenner with his machete, but Brenner blocked with one of his armored arms. Meanwhile, Deadeye shot at some of the Beast's men and the two strange men while I went up the stairs to the control room to see who were ordering those guys to disrupt the Clock Up system.

By the time I arrived at the top after running up the flight of stairs, I kicked the door down and there in front of me was a man in his early 50's with very pale white skin and shoulder length white hair with crimson red eyes wearing a black long-sleeved turtleneck shirt with black pants, shoes, and gloves while wearing a tattered white lab coat.

"Hold it right there, whoever you are!" I shouted as I held the KunaiAx Gun at the ready in Ax Mode. "Who are you!? How did you make us Clock Over!? And why are you helping the Beast!?"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… at last we finally meet Kabuto." The mysterious man chuckled.

I grumbled angrily as I gripped my ax tighter. "I don't know how you know me, but I want answers to my questions! And what have you done to Koji and Gatack!?"

"Who I am is none of your concern." The man said. "As for your other questions, I am performing an experiment and you are my test subjects."

I could feel a blood vessel pop in my head. "'Test subjects!?' Is that what you consider us!?"

"Yes. And I must say, I find the results rather fascinating."

I growled angrily as I gripped my weapon even tighter. "BASTARD!" I then rushed towards him as fast as I could, wanting to cut him in half.

But the man simply sidestepped, making me miss. "My, my, you shouldn't waste your efforts on attempting to kill a simple man like me, perhaps I should give you a better test subject to experiment your fighting skills on."

Crashing through the control room skylight came a new Worm. It was a four winged Worm with a black and orange exoskeleton with bulging red eyes. It had two large arms with hooked hands and muscular legs. It bashed the hooks together causing sparks to fly. Its pincers gnashed as it growled at me. This was the Cicada Worm.

"What the–!? You have a Worm under your control!?"

The scientist gave a soft chuckle and shrugged. "I do. All thanks to a prototype of mine." He then pointed to what appeared to be a small device under the Worm's right arm that was blinking.

"That device," I noticed.

"Yes. And I like to see how well it responds to my commands." The scientist said. "Attack Kabuto, Worm," He ordered. The Cicada Worm nodded before running at me, making an angry noise as it clashed its hooks together. When it reached me, it began furiously slashing at me.

*SLASH! SWISH! SWOOSH! SLASH!*

"GAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I writhed in pain as sparks flew off my armor. I barely managed to stay on my feet as I raised my ax. "You overgrown gnat… time for me to swat you!"

"Hmhmhmhmhm… I'll leave you to your fighting. I'll be watching you." The scientist said before causally walking out of the room.

"Get back here!" I shouted, but to no avail. The Worm, in my distracted state, then attacked me again. "AGH!" I grunted. Slamming back against the railing outside the control, I slashed at the Worm with my ax, but it caught my every attack. Then it swatted me away, causing me to go over the railing and I fell to the ground. Luckily, some old wooden crates broke my fall. "Ow…"

Meanwhile, as Deadeye and Stauffenburg were covered behind a pile of crates, Deadeye shooting at the Beast's men, Brenner was busy fighting the Beast himself, trying to get past him to free Koji and Gatack.

"Can't you get us any closer?!" Dr. Stauffenburg asked.

"Whaddya think I'm _trying_ to do?!" Deadeye snapped, as he kept shooting.

From within the cell, Koji looked out. Despite the immense pain he was in, Koji felt angry, seeing us fighting and him trapped, unable to help. "Dang it… they're here… because of… us… we've gotta… do–" He then froze. "G–Gatack… Dr. Stauffen–… Stauffenburg… he has your… Rider Belt… can you bring it… here?"

"Sure, I can try," Gatack said before managing to somehow fly.

Flying between the bars, he came up to Stauffenburg and said, "Eh… What's up, Doc?"

"G–Gatack!" He shouted happily.

"Sorry to cut this short, but I need to borrow this," Gatack replied, seeing the Rider Belt attached to Stauffenburg's utility belt. With his pincers, he grabbed the belt and flew back to Koji's cell.

"H–Hey!" The doctor snapped.

"Alrighty, here you go! Get this around your waist!"

Groaning, Koji struggled to get to his feet. "O–Okay, I'll– GAH!" Koji groaned in pain as he lost his grip on the wall and fell to the ground again. "G–Gatack… I think… I'll need your help… to get up."

"What can I do? I'm small and you're big! I can't carry ya!"

"I know that," Koji growled. "Just grab the back… of my gear vest and… pull… That should help me get to my feet," he explained as he started to stand up again.

"Okay, if you say so." Gatack said before using his pincers to grab the back of his vest and started pulling. "Man, what have you been eating?! You're heavy!"

Koji grumbled angrily. "It's muscle. I'm a soldier… "

With that, Gatack managed to somehow get Koji back to his feet, "Yeesh, you need to lose the weight!"

"SHUT UP ABOUT MY WEIGHT– ITEITEITEITE!" Koji then groaned in pain as he held his side with one hand, the other keeping his balance on the wall.

"And you need to quit whining! Now hold still!" Gatack said before using his pincers to wrap the Rider Belt around Koji's waist. "Now to do this! Henshin!" He said before attaching to the Rider Belt.

**HENSHIN!**

Energy hexagons formed around Koji until he went into his armored form. Koji's body armor is black, but slightly more colorful than the others. The abdomen section is silver with black running across it while the pectoral sections are pure deep blue. He doesn't have shoulder plating, but instead has mounted with black double barrel guns specifically made to kill Worms. His arms sport the standard issue segmented protection armor but for him it is not so much a hindrance since his weapons are mounted. His helmet it deep blue with small horns on the forehead and a pair of large red eyes.

"Whoa…" Koji said as he looked over himself, amazed at his new armor. "And the pain from my injuries… It's like it's not even here."

"The Rider System's power is strengthening your body to overcome the pain," Gatack explained.

"Awesome," Koji said as he made a fist in determination. "Alright, aibou… together we're… Kamen Rider… GATACK!" Turning towards the cell gate, he shouted, "Shoulder Cannons! Fire!" Two powerful blue energy blasts shot out, blasting the gate into nothing as he stepped through effortlessly.

As he dodged a punch from Brenner, sending him backwards with a blast from his shotgun, the Beast looked at Koji wide-eyed. "Wha–what the–!? That roach, he… he…!?"

"K–Koji?" Brenner asked in shock.

"Aibou…" I gritted as I managed to get out of the piles of crates that broke my fall and my eyes widened behind my helmet at seeing him.

A smug smirk came from Koji. "Alright," he said as he scanned the warehouse, getting a reading on the situation, "Time to show you what the most powerful Rider can do."

"Not just the strongest, but the fastest too! Cast off that armor!" Gatack said from the belt.

Koji nodded before firing his Shoulder Cannons again, sending the Beast's men and the two soldiers that worked with that scientist flying out of the warehouse. "Now then, for the Beast and that Worm," Koji replied as he partially pushed back Gatack's pincers, causing the armor to begin separating as electrical energy began to generate. "Cast Off!"

**CAST OFF!**

The armor split apart and ejected out, sending out various part of the armor towards the enemy soldiers before two jagged beetle horns rose up and attached to Koji's helmet frame.

**CHANGE: STAG BEETLE!**

* * *

><p><strong>BGM: Full Force by Rider CHIPS feat. Ricky<strong>

When Koji's outer armor broke off, his sleeker Rider Form armor appeared. On his helmet, two large stag beetle pincers came up as his face mask had two red composite eyes and a silver mouth piece. His arms, legs, and lower torso were similar to my mine, consisting of a black body suit with silver armor pieces. As for his upper torso, his chest plate seemed like the exoskeleton of a beetle with rounded shoulder pads that extended into curved blades similar to those of his head–pincers. "Now these are some far–out threads!" Koji declared.

"You like it huh?" Gatack said with a laugh. "Just wait until you fight!"

"Oh I'm gonna start fighting now!" Koji said smugly before taking off the pincer-like swords off his shoulders. When he saw the Cicada Worm he added, "And I'm starting with that jive–turkey!"

Twirling his swords, he rushed at the Worm and slammed into it with his shoulder, knocking the thing back before giving a cross slash with his swords. Turning to me, he then asked, "You alright, aibou?"

"I've been better…" I grunted, getting up. "I'm surprised you managed to hold out until we arrived."

"I'm surprised, too," Koji said distraught, thinking back to what happened. "I'm… it wasn't pretty…" The Cicada Worm got back to its feet and looked to us, growling angrily. "But enough of that! We got a Worm to kill!"

I smiled under my helmet and said, "Right! Let's take him, Koji!" Switching my weapon to Kunai Mode, we rushed at the Worm, me going in first for a feint as Koji leapt over me and gave a downward slash with his swords. The Cicada Worm reeled as it staggered back before I moved in and slashed it multiple times with my Kunai, making sparks fly off.

Deadeye looked up as he killed two more of the Beast's men, grinning beneath his helmet. "Dang... Shinamori's armor has some bite to it!"

Brenner looked to the Beast and I could _hear_ how smug his smile was. "This might be a good time to consider surrendering, my friend."

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…!" The Beast growled. Seeing that he would get killed if he kept up the fight, he went for a desperation move. "Surrender, this!" He turned and fired his shotgun, sending a bunch of the crates tumbling down towards Brenner. As he dodged, he ran and hopped into a jeep to escape. "NEXT TIME I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU, KOJI SHINAMORI!"

After that, he sped off.

"Oi! Get back here you meanie!" TheBee cried out angrily from Brenner's wrist.

"Let him go, TheBee," Brenner said before rolling over to rejoin Deadeye and Stauffenburg. "Beast's a coward. We'll get him another time."

"Yeah, we got a Worm to kill." Deadeye added.

Drake chuckled as Deadeye used him to shoot another one of the Beast's men. "I think Kurogasa and Koji have it covered. We just need to finish off these guys and let them squash the Worm."

Deadeye looked over to me and Koji before he shrugged, "Meh, I guess you're right."

"Hey Aibou, I think it's time to cut this Worm in half!" Gatack said. "And by cut I mean scissor cut!"

Koji looked down at Gatack and asked, "Eh? Scissors? What do you mean, Gatack?"

"The pincer swords you're using now can be crossed together and be used as scissors and perform a finisher called Rider Cutting!"

"Rider Cutting…?" Koji asked, looking to his swords as I held back the Worm.

"Go for it, Koji!" I shouted. "This one's all yours, buddy!"

Koji stood there for a moment before saying, "Alright, if you say so!" He said before putting his pincers swords together to form a pair of scissors and yellow electricity crackled from the armor's helmet to the pincer scissors.

**RIDER CUTTING!**

Koji let out a yell as he rushed forward, opening the pincer-scissors. I leapt out of the way as he then clamped the scissors around the Worm's waist, causing it to yell in pain. And then, Koji– HOLY COW! Koji LIFTED the Worm OVER HIS HEAD! High above him, the Worm hissed and clicked in pain as Koji gave another yell and cut the Worm in half, instantly causing it to explode…

**End BGM**

* * *

><p>…Dang, considering the torture Koji had underwent, the fact that he could do that was impressive. Heck, even Brenner and Deadeye were shocked that Koji could do that.<p>

After the Worm was destroyed, Koji stood there, still holding his scissor weapon over his head, panting heavily as he did. "Way to go, partner!" Gatack shouted excitedly. "I _knew_ you'd be a perfect match for me!"

However, he didn't say anything.

"Koji?" I asked, worriedly.

And that was when Koji collapsed to the ground.

"KOJI!" I shouted, running over to him and Kabuto got off my belt, having me go back to civilian form.

Gatack disconnected from him, leaving him in civilian form as Brenner, Deadeye, and Stauffenburg came to join us. "Aibou!" Gatack shouted worriedly.

Dropping to my knees, I helped Koji sit up slightly, giving my first good look at how badly beaten Koji had been over the last day. He looked horrible, bruised, bloodied, beaten, and probably other issues from the drugs they pumped him full of.

"K–Kurogasa," he whispered in a pained whisper. "I, uh… think–k I may have… overdone in it… in that fight."

"You think?!" I snapped. "Rika's gonna be worried sick about you once she sees you like this!"

Koji gave me a look as he said, "No, really?" He sighed as I held him up before grunting painfully. "Can we… can you just… go take me home?"

"Yeah, yeah…" I sighed. "Seriously, you are a pain in the butt sometimes."

"I love ya too…" Koji muttered, making me chuckle.

"Baka…" I shook my head.

* * *

><p>After the battle was over, we made our way to where the battalion was, the new factory, after they had defeated the Beast's men there. Well actually to be more precise, it was a huge nuclear shelter, that was towering over us. Brenner and Deadeye were carrying Koji as Stauffenburg and I ran ahead to get my buddy help.<p>

"Lieutenant, Captain Brenner and his team are back!" One of the soldiers in the watch tower shouted.

"What?" Lin gasped as she, Will, and Rika looked and saw us. "Kurogasa!"

"Captain! Deadeye!" Will called out.

"KOJI!" Rika shouted.

Lin looked to Rika in confusion before looking back to the five of us and gasping in shock when she saw how badly Koji was beaten up. "Corporal, get a medical team and Dr. Morris down there to get Sgt. Shinamori!"

"Yes ma'am!" The soldier saluted before running to get the EMT and Dr. Morris. Meanwhile, the three of them ran over to us.

"You made it back!" Will said happily.

"Hey, have you ever doubted us kid?" I smirked.

Will grinned sheepishly as Rika rushed past us to Koji. "Oh my, gosh, what happened to him!?"

"Koji… has been through a lot. He was tortured really, _really_ badly." I said.

Dr. Morris arrived soon after. "My word…"

"Kurogasa," Rika stated, "I need specifics. Obviously he was beaten, but what else?"

"I think the Beast slipped him one heck of a cocktail of drugs, drugs I've never even heard of before," Deadeye answered.

Rika gave a frightened gasp as Koji hollowly breathed. Morris looked to the corpsmen who had come over to them and said, "Put him in the back of one of the empty trucks. Dr. Ryusaki can examine him there."

"Yes sir!" The corpsmen said before they put Koji on a stretcher and took him to one of the empty trucks with Rika and Dr. Morris following.

"Well, in any case, we managed to rescue Koji." Stauffenburg said.

"Yeah! And you got me a bonus!" Gatack said, suddenly flying in front of Will. "Hiya! I'm Gatack! Nice to meet ya!"

"Uh, hi there," Will smiled as the mechanical stag beetle flew before him. "So, you're the final ZECTer, huh? Where'd they find you?"

"Well I was captured by some mean men who wanted to experiment on me for some reason, but I managed to fight them off and I teamed up with Koji, so now he's an official Kamen Rider!" Gatack chirped happily.

Will gave a small laugh. "Looks like he finally got his wish of being a Kamen Rider, then."

"Glad to see you in one piece." Lin said approaching me.

I scratched the back of my head sheepishly as I said, "Thanks. Glad to see you are, too… and everyone else, too, I mean!"

"Hm?" Lin raised an eyebrow.

"N–Nothing," I said a little too quickly. Clearing my throat, I asked, "What have you guys found here?"

"Well, we found the nuclear shelter as you can see." Lin said, looking at the towering shelter.

I gave a long whistle as I looked up at the shelter. "It's remarkable. This place is humongous."

"Yeah, but we got one problem. It's locked tight and we need an access code to get in."

"Access code?" I asked in confusion.

Lin nodded as she led us to a control panel by the gate. "In order to protect the base, shelters like these have some kind of security code to keep intruders out."

"Pretty obvious." I said.

"All we need now is a way to open the security doors."

[_**"Welcome to Fortress. Enter access code."**_] A computerized voice said.

Lin approached the control panel and began examining it. "Okay… The access code is of standard military issue, but I don't have the proper security clearance. Captain, do you think your clearance is high enough?"

"I doubt it, but we've got to try. I'm only a captain, but here goes…" Brenner said before going up to the control panel. "Code number: 0848124390."

There was a buzzing sound before the computer voice said, [_**"System: Identification error. Access denied. You have one chance remaining to enter a valid code."**_]

"Che…" Brenner scoffed. "Guess the politicos never planned on letting grunts into their private club. Looks like I should have taken those promotions when I had the chance."

Lin sighed and shook her head. "More importantly, Captain, we only have one chance remaining. I think we're done."

"Great, another wild goose chase," Deadeye snorted.

"No! Don't say that!" Will cried out. "We've come so far… There must be something we can do. We have to get inside. We have to! Otherwise, Isabella will… she'll…

"We need someone with the right clearance, but…" I began.

Lin shot me a look as she said sarcastically "I don't see any generals or high–ranking government officials in the area, Kurogasa. Did you happen to see the president's corpse on the way here? Perhaps _he's_ carrying the code."

"That's morbid, Lieutenant. And decidingly unhelpful." Dr. Stauffenburg said. "Truth be told, we don't have time to go looking for the code. It's not sophisticated, but how about starting at 0000000000 and working our way up?"

"_Now_ who's being unhelpful?" Lin rolled her eyes. "We only have one chance left."

"Well, you got a better idea?"

"I'm merely stating the facts. And the fact is, we have no chance of guessing the correct access code." Lin reminded. "We have one more try to get a ten–digit code correct. The odds of guessing it right… …are almost zero."

"We're talking a probability of one in ten billion." Dr. Stauffenburg said.

"I'd rather try and fail than just walk away." Brenner said. Anyone have a favorite ten–digit number?"

"Ten digits… Wait a second!" Will exclaimed.

"What is it, Will?"

"9693872914… That's ten numbers, right?"

"Don't tell me you actually _have_ a favorite ten–digit number." Lin said incredulously.

I put my hand up and looked to Will as I replied, "Wait a minute, Lin, I think Will may have something."

Will scratched the back of his head as he said, "I just… have a feeling. I think it may get us inside."

Brenner gave a deep sigh. He paused to look to everyone before looking back to Will. Nodding finally, he gestured to the control panel and said, "Well… what have we got to lose? Go ahead, Will."

With a nod, Will went up to the control panel.

[_**"Welcome to the Fortress. Enter access code."**_]

"Please let this work…" Will gulped. "9693872914…"

…

…

…

…

*BEEP–BEEP–BEEP!*

[_**"Identification accepted. Security locks disengaging."**_]

NO WAY!

Brenner had a huge smile on his face as he patted Will on the back. "You did it, Will!"

Lin was just stunned. "…I don't what to say."

"I feel like this is something out of a video game or something," Deadeye replied, equally amazed.

At that point, there was some huge clanking noises coming from the inside of the door, most likely the locks being unlocked and the huge doors slowly opened.

Dr. Morris chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Will's shoulder. "Are you some sort of idiot savant? Or wait… Perhaps _you_ are the president's secret child! Oh ho! Oh ho ho ho ho ho!"

Deadeye and I both facepalmed.

"What?! No… that's not it. It's the number Isabella was whispering." Will corrected.

"What are you talking about?" Lin asked.

"She's been saying it randomly ever since she remembered this shelter was here. In fact, she said it again just before she got sick."

Everyone was surprised at that. Even _me_. "So once again, it's Isabella to the rescue. I feel like we've got our own guardian angel. Do you think she really is the daughter of some high–ranking official?"

"That's the one explanation I would be comfortable with." Lin agreed.

"Well, in any case, we're in! And that's something to celebrate, my friends! Oh ho ho ho!" Dr. Morris laughed. "And now that we're in, we should be able to find the machinery and medicine we need."

"I'll go back down and get Isabella." Will offered.

"No, you won't! You're not allowed to have any contact with the patient, remember?" Dr. Morris reminded. "I'll take care of Isabella. It'll give me the chance to tell the mayor that we're inside."

"Take some of the men with you." Brenner said, "There's no sign of hostiles, but we can't let our guard down."

"I'll take charge of reconnoitering the shelter. Will, Kurogasa, you're with me."

"Yes, ma'am/You got it!" Will and I nodded.

"NOT SO FAST!"

We all turned around immediately and found ourselves face to face with those bug–faced soldiers from before, the ZECTroopers. Brenner signaled our men to immediately level their weapons at the soldiers. "Soldiers, at the ready!"

"LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!" Another voice shouted. We were confused, before the ZECTroopers moved aside and the leader of ZECT came to the front. "After all," he said with a deceptively pleasant tone, "There's no need for us to destroy each other, is there?"

"What do you want?" I asked, gritting my teeth. "Actually, I should be asking how you manage to find us in the first place."

The man chuckled as he said, "No need to worry about that. All you need to know is that my men and are here to help your people."

"HUH?!" Everyone asked surprised.

"'Scuse me?" Deadeye raised an eyebrow.

He chuckled again. "Perhaps my organization was… a little hasty in our previous encounter. Allow us to make up for what we did."

"What's the catch?" Lin frowned in suspicion.

The man was silent for a while before shrugging. "Nothing to worry about for now. What we desire in return can be discussed later."

"Nuh–uh, not gonna happen." I said. "We want answers now. What do you want in return?"

"Hmph… impatient." The man scoffed. "Very well, in return for us joining you, we'll allow you to continue to use the ZECTers."

Deadeye snorted. "You'll 'allow' us to keep using them? Somehow I doubt you could stop us."

"Who said I was stopping you?" The man said. "You and I both know that this world is no longer what it used to be and the only way to survive is by co–operating with one another."

Brenner eyed the ZECTroopers suspiciously as he said, "Forgive me if I'm a little skeptical. What made you decide it was better to team up instead of killing us?"

"For one, we've been monitoring your actions since your escape from our base and… you've done more good than I expected." The man said.

I looked to Dr. Stauffenburg, who was cowering behind a boulder, trying to keep out of sight, before looking back to ZECT's boss and asking, "How have you been monitoring us?"

"From the ZECTers. Their eyes have a two–way conduit feed so we see what they see."

Kabuto, TheBee, and Drake all gasped. "They've been using us as cameras!?" Drake shouted.

Kabuto began crying anime style. "I feel so violated!"

"In any case," the man cleared his throat intentionally. "Your actions changed my mind about you and would like to offer you my organization's cooperation. You'll have full access to our resources."

Lin's eyes bugged. "Wait, _full_ access?" Our whole group huddled up together as Lin whispered to us, "I hate to admit it, but that could be a huge benefit to us. ZECT developed some of the most advanced weaponry in the world. Having access to that would be great help."

"Yeah, and they used their resources to capture and imprison us." I hissed.

Brenner bit his lip briefly before relenting, "I hate to admit it, but the lieutenant is right, Kurogasa. Even with all they did to us, they are giving us an offer we can't really refuse right now.

"What about whatever we find in the shelter?" I asked.

"Well, since they're offering _their_ resources, it's only fair that we give them access to _ours_."

I was speechless. Turning to Deadeye, I stammered out pleadingly, "Deadeye, c'mon… you're with me, right!?"

"I have to admit, it's something even _I_ can't refuse."

WHAT?!

"Look Kurogasa, I understand that what they did back then was wrong, but they're willing to give us everything they have in order to make up for it." Brenner tried to reason.

Will looked guilty and stated, "I'm sorry, Kurogasa, but I'm with them. Besides, they may have what we need to cure Isabella in case the shelter doesn't."

"And Koji as well," Lin added. "We don't know exactly what drugs the Beast pumped him full of. Dr. Ryusaki may need other supplies to help get him back."

I can't believe this…

"Look, if it makes you feel better, we'll keep an eye on them, just in case." Lin offered. "I know you're skeptical since this is all too good to be true, but this is an opportunity that we can take while we still can."

There was only one other person there in the circle who might take my side. "Dr. Stauffenburg… What do you think?"

Stauffenburg shuffled his feet nervously before saying, "…I don't like it, but… they're right."

I sighed at this seeing that they were adamant about this before saying, "Alright fine, I might as well bite. But if ever betray us, don't say I didn't warn ya."

"You're entitled to as many 'I told ya so's' as you want," Brenner said with a groan, massaging his temples. We then broke the huddle and Brenner said, "On behalf of the 12th Battalion, I would like to welcome ZECT with open arms."

"Excellent," the ZECT leader said with a smile before walking towards Brenner to shake hands.

"If we're going to be working together," Brenner replied, "Mind telling us your name?"

"Just call me Kagami,"

"Kagami?" Brenner said, quirking his eyebrow. "Is that your first or last name?"

"Does it really matter?"

Brenner sighed deeply through his nose at the man's unnecessary crypticness, but got over it. "Okay, Mr. Kagami, Welcome to Brenner's Wolves." He then turned to Lin and said, "Lieutenant, let's get to work on exploring the shelter. Priorities are any medical supplies that can cure Isabella, any Rika may need for Sgt. Shinamori, and food supplies."

"Yes sir." Lin saluted.

Man, this better be worth it.

* * *

><p><strong>Fen:<strong> Oh yeah! Koji became Kamen Rider Gatack!

**SD:** And became a total badass when he did! XD Not that he wasn't before, but even more than he was prior! I mean, did you _see_ that, Fen!? He freaking lifted a Worm _over_ his _head_! And then cut it in half!

**Fen:** Yep! Awesome!

**SD:** Of course, now things are more concerning for the team. As our two doctors try to fix up Koji and Isabella, they now not only have to search the nuclear shelter, but also have to now deal with the arrival of ZECT and their supposed interest in an "alliance."

**Fen:** Will it benefit or bite them? We don't know. Oh wait, we _do_ know. We're the authors.

**SD:** Well, we _will_ know when we get to that point. XD But yes, stay tuned until next time. Things are gonna get even crazier for them next time. Plus, Koji and the Beast will come face–to–face in an epic showdown.

**Fen:** Until next time!

**SD:** Ja nee!


	10. Chapter 10: Almost Home

**Fen:** Heya guys! Fen and SD here to give you the latest chapter of Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin!

**SD:** *crying*

**Fen:** What's wrong with YOU? o_O?

**SD:** This chapter is SAD, Fen! Somebody DIES! *sobs loudly, blowing nose with Fen's shirt*

**Fen:** Oi! No snot on my shirt! *pushes SD away* Aw man, now I gotta get this cleaned!

**SD:** *sniffling* Y–Yes, folks, this chapter is rather emotional as a character is going to kick the bucket. :'(

**Fen:** So read this chapter while I clean myself up. Ugh… this is gross.

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

><p>In spite of my reservations about it, ZECT joined up with the Wolves, civilians, and Native Worms disguised as civilians we were protecting. I didn't like it, but in the end, I was outvoted. Admittedly, having those ZECTroopers helped with clearing the nuclear shelter which Lin, Will, and I were doing.<p>

We found two medical bays, one primarily that was an ER and OR (operating room), where Rika promptly took Koji to take care of his wounds, and a second that was more of a lab. That was where we expected Dr. Morris to take Isabella.

Right now we were checking out another level of the nuclear shelter and after going the corridor for some time, we came across a large vault door that was probably some kind of storage room. Sliding the door open, we found it to be a storage room for food. "Whoa," Will said with mouth hanging open, "This is unbelievable. I don't think I've ever seen this much food packed together."

"No kidding." Lin agreed. "With this much food, we could probably last for a few years if we ration it right."

"Aw yeah! I can finally cook something edible for once!" I cheered, jumping in the air.

Will looked to me and said, "You think there is enough food in here for everyone?"

"Heck yeah! With all of this, I can give ya food that I used to cook in my diner!"

Lin smiled at me. "That's good to hear. I'm interested in tasting what you can cook up with a full stock."

"Oh trust me, cooking that burger and fries is only a taste of what I can _really_ do." I said in glee, rubbing my hands eagerly.

Just then, I heard Rika come in over radio. [_"Kurogasa! Come to the third floor med bay! Koji's finally coming to!"_]

"What?!" I gasped. "Alright, I'm on my way!"

I gave a quick look to Lin and she gave me a thumbs–up. "Go. We've got things under control."

"Thanks." I nodded before darting off to the med bay.

* * *

><p><strong>(Cue Theme D–Technolife by UVERworld)<strong>

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi yo)** The scenery is a barren wasteland, with a sky that blotted out the sun. The camera pans slowly to the right as Kurogasa, with his back facing the camera, looks at the barren wasteland on top of a cliff.  
><strong>(Kesenai kako mo seoiatteikou ikiru koto o nagedasanai de)<strong> The camera then suddenly changes to a close up of Kurogasa's face before it went around his head, the camera's view being blocked momentarily when it reached the back of his head and when the camera finally circles to the side of his face, it showed Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Kabuto, before panning out showing him in his full armor. Looking up at the sky, a ray of light suddenly burst through the clouds shining on Kabuto before the screen goes white.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] tsunaida kimi no te o)** The title Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin appears on the screen and just before the song enters the next phrase, the ZECTers flew, crawled, and hopped around the title from behind and jumped towards the screen before changing to the next scene.

**(Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana)** Koji sits on the edge of his bed, sadly looking at his guitar on one side, his rifle on the other, as Gatack flew up and lands on his shoulder.  
><strong>(Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara)<strong> Rika was in the medical wing of the base, sighing and wiping sweat off her brow as she tries to organize her medical supplies, Sasword crawling around on a table while Brenner, Lin, Isabella, and Will were discussing plans for their next move.

**(Hibiku~ boku wo yobu koe sae kare)** Kurogasa was cooking and Kabuto watched on his shoulder before Kurogasa noticed something from afar on the horizon.  
><strong>(Toki ni sou kaze ni kakikesaretatte)<strong> Drake and TheBee fly past him as we see what Kurogasa was looking out: a swarm of Salis Worms flanking Dr. Caulder with Admiral Greyfield, Waylon, showing up one end of the battlefield along with Tasha and Gage on another end and they sending out their troops alerting the 12th Platoon.

**(Kimi wo mitsu–ke–da–su)** Kurogasa grabs Kabuto and transforms into Kamen Rider Kabuto, before casting off his armor and charging towards Dr. Caulder.

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi mou)** Dr. Caulder snaps his fingers and Kamen Rider Punch and Kick Hopper appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Kabuto for an attack only for the latter to dodge before going to attack them.  
><strong>(Waraenai nante, hito kirai nante kotoba sou iwanaide)<strong> Koji transforms into Kamen Rider Gatack and leads the Tech Platoon with their heavy weapons attacking some of the Salis Worms as Brenner transforms into Kamen Rider TheBee and he, Lin, and Will attack the rest of the forces.  
><strong>(Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara)<strong> Rika and David "Deadeye" Stevens transforms into Kamen Rider Sasword and Kamen Rider Drake respectively and attack some of the Salis Worms.  
><strong>(Ima wa sono mama de ii, kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou [WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH])<strong> As Kurogasa battles Punch Hopper and Kick Hopper, Caulder surprisingly joins in and transforms into Kamen Rider Caucasus, going to punch Kurogasa, only for the latter to dodge and he and Caulder stared each other down.

**(You and Me, two have spoken.)** The Hyper ZECTer appears from the distortion of time and Kurogasa grabs it to become Hyper Kabuto.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] Itsuka wakariaeru kara)** Kurogasa then grabs the Perfect ZECTer and he and Caucasus leap at each other, their attack causing a huge flash of light. When the light fades, we see Kurogasa, Koji, Rika, Brenner, Will, Lin, Isabella, Tasha, Gage, and Stauffenburg looking out into the sunset, the ZECTers with them as well before the song ends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 10: Almost Home<p>

_The Beast growled angrily as he slammed his hands on the table, glaring daggers into the scientist! "You were of no help! Shinamori got away! And he took that ZECTer with him!"_

_"Don't fret," the scientist calmly replied. "I have all the information I need from the ZECTer."_

_"And what about _me_!?" The Beast roared. "You promised to help me kill him and those Rubinelle roaches! And your medicine is making me feel _worse_ now!"_

_"Which is why I've developed another medicine. To help cure your illness." The scientist said, presenting him a syringe with green liquid in it._

_The Beast clenched his fists repeatedly. "Why should I trust you, roach? What's so special about this one?"_

_The scientist smiled. "It will make you stronger than any human alive. I guarantee that."_

_"Stronger than Shinamori?"_

_"Yes, even stronger than those Kamen Riders. Including Shinamori."_

_The Beast eyed the medicine suspiciously for a few moments before practically ripping the syringe away. "TIME TO SQUASH THAT ROACH!" He then stabbed the syringe into his arm, not feeling pain while pressing all the green liquid into his bloodstream before pulling it out and throwing the syringe away. "AH HA HA HA! Let's see those little roaches stand… against me… n–now… uh…" The Beast put his hand up to his head, suddenly feeling lightheaded. "Wha–What…? What is… happening…?"_

_"The medicine is in effect." The scientist chuckled darkly. "It's making you stronger... better... and turning you into something more..."_

* * *

><p>After a bit of running, I finally made it to the third floor medical bay. "Rika! How is he!?"<p>

"Relax, he's waking up." Rika chided.

"Yeah, and shout louder why don't ya, you whippersnapper!" Sasword said annoyed.

"It's alright, Sasword," Koji said groggily as he started to sit up. "He's just glad to know I'm good."

"How are you feeling man?" I asked, approaching him.

"Like I got ran over by a tank 500 times…" Koji groaned, holding his head.

Rika sighed sadly as she put down his chart. "His visible injuries aren't too bad. I've managed to stitch up most of his cuts, given him some stuff to help keep the swelling of his bruises down, and managed to keep his cracked rib in place. But he's gonna need some medication to help with the after effects of all those drugs."

"Well, maybe if you kiss my boo-boos, it'll make me feel better," Koji said with a playful wink, one I hadn't really seen him give before he joined the army, usually to a girl he was trying to hook up with, hence why Rika was blushing like wildfire.

"B–Baka!" Rika exclaimed. "Don't just go winking at me like that! You need to take your recovery seriously!"

Koji gave a soft, but pained chuckle. "I am taking my recovery seriously, hence why I'm looking for anyway to speed up my recovery."

"Heh, looks like the Beast didn't manage to beat out that idiot streak of yours," I said, pretending to be frustrated even though my smile was breaking through.

"He certainly tried," Koji said with a laugh before groaning in pain. Settling back on the bed, he then got serious as he said, "Those drugs… really did a number on me, brother… I've… I've never experienced pain and fear like that."

"Do you even know where he _got_ them in the first place?" I asked.

Koji closed his eyes as he tried to think. "My memory's a little foggy… but I remember that weird scientist… he had this big silver briefcase with him."

My eyes widened at this. He must be talking about that same scientist I met when his disrupted the Clock Up System.

"Hey, you okay Kuro?" Rika asked.

"H–Huh?" I asked snapping out of my thought. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing."

Koji then looked to Rika and said, "So, how long before I can back into the field, Rika? I'm looking forward to squashing more Worms with Gatack."

"Well, given with your physical injuries, the drugs being out of your system, and your cracked rib…" Rika said looking over the chart. "I'd say about several days before you could go back to active duty."

Koji sighed. "I don't suppose those are just suggestions, eh?"

"No." Rika huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "I mean it. No getting out of bed for you."

"D'oh!" Koji grunted before laying back on the bed. "Guess I'm stuck here."

"Hey at least you'll be dining fine." I smirked. "I found a huge storage room of food and I can cook up what you always get at the diner."

Koji quirked an eyebrow. "Re~eeeeeally?" He then began steeping his fingers like an evil genius. "You mean you have the means to cook up your French dip sandwich?"

"Yes."

"Well, that makes everything better, then," Koji grinned. However, he furrowed his brows in thought. "How is Isabella? I know I wasn't the only medical concern for the battalion."

"Dr. Morris took her to the other med lab," Rika explained as she brought over pain pills for Koji. "He's checking the stuff there to see what he can use to help her."

"I see." Koji nodded. "I hope she's okay."

"Me too," I said, brushing some of my hair back.

Just then Brenner came in over the radio. [_"This is Capt. Brenner. All Riders and essential personnel are report to the first level for a meeting. I repeat all Riders and essential personnel."_]

"That's us," I said, looking to Rika and Koji.

Koji looked up to Rika and asked, "Am I okay enough to attend this meeting?"

"Yes, you can attend the meeting." Rika said.

* * *

><p>We were all gathered in a room we determined to be the main control room for the shelter. Mr. Kagami from ZECT and the mayor of Freehaven were sitting with those of us who made up the de–facto command staff for the battalion. "Thank you, all, for coming. Lt. Lin, your report on the condition and supply count for the shelter?'<p>

"Well to begin, there are ten levels to this shelter." Lin began.

"What's the status on medical facilities?" Brenner then asked.

Rika turned to the captain and said, "We've got a standard operating room in B Block, Sector 4."

Will then added, "The medical research lab is in D Block, Sector 1, sir,"

"And there's a food storage room and a mess hall in C Block, Section 3." I finished.

Lin nodded. "In short, Captain, this place has everything we need to keep us in business for the foreseeable future. The operating room has the latest in medical equipment. The medical lab is filled to the brim with antiviral vaccines and antibacterial medications. And the food storage room contains a huge variety of food with the mess hall being perfectly designed to cook it all." She then gave a sarcastic snort as she added, "The government spared no expense in its preparations to safeguard the political elite."

"I hear you Lin." Brenner nodded.

"Now we just gotta get Isabella and the civilians here and we're home free!" I said.

Koji gave me a thumbs–up as he said, "Well said, aibou. We can finally plant some roots."

However, just then, a young Rubinelle sergeant came rushing in. "Captain! Our rear guard is under attack! It's the Beast's men!"

"What?!" We asked shocked.

"How did they sneak up on us?!" Brenner demanded.

The sergeant replied quickly, "We're not sure, sir! It looks like they came in from the southeast, using the cover of the mountains to avoid detection!"

"Well… we're _almost_ home free…" Deadeye groaned in annoyance before heading to the door. "No use being around here, let's go!"

"Right– ARGH!" Koji groaned as he tried to get up before slumping back in his chair.

"Hey, what did I say? No fighting today!" Rika huffed, "You focus on resting!"

"Hai…" Koji muttered.

Sergeant Rusk gently placed his hand on platoon sergeant's shoulder and said proudly, "Don't worry, Staff Sergeant, I'll make sure Tech Platoon gets through this fight in one piece."

"Okay. I'm counting on you." Koji nodded.

"Yes, sir," Rusk said with a two–finger salute.

"Alright, Wolves, let's move out!" Brenner shouted.

Mr. Kagami then stood up and said, "And my men will assist as well."

"Any help would be appreciated." Brenner said. "Alright, let's go, on the double!"

"Yes sir!" The Riders and I said.

* * *

><p><em>"Wha–what is this…?" The Beast asked the scientist as he examined his two hands, one still human and the other… non–human. As he watched his men attack the Rubinelle forces, he turned to the scientist, anger mixing with pain and disease as he shouted, "What did you do to me!?"<em>

_"If I recall, it was you that did this to yourself." The scientist said. "You are changing something stronger than your human self. You wanted this didn't you?"_

_"I–I don't… I don't understand…"_

_"Of course you don't, you simple–minded brute," the scientist said with cold maliciousness. "All you see is violence and chaos. You fail to see the big picture. I, on the other hand, see this world as a chance for opportunity, to reshape the world in ways beyond human recognition. But to do so, tests must be performed. And it would seem the one I have performed on you is a success… You're becoming a Worm."_

_The Beast's head shot up as he looked to the scientist. "Y–You're lying!"_

_"Hardly," the scientist chuckled unsympathetically. "In a twist of irony, you're becoming a bug, the man who calls his enemies 'roaches.'"_

_"YOU BASTARD!" The Beast before charging at the scientist. The scientist didn't move or flinch. Before the Beast could get to him, the mercenary dropped to his knees, hugging his stomach as he was hit by a pang of nausea. His body glowed green in different spots, causing his legs to become more insectoid. The Beast nearly vomited when he saw what had happened to his legs. "M–Mama…" He said quietly, trembling._

_"Oh~ what is this? Do I see… fear in you?" The scientist said interested. "Fascinating, simply fascinating."_

_The Beast's usual façade of fearlessness and rage had been replaced by sheer terror. "P–Please…" He paused, dry–heaving as he saw his other hand change as well. "…P–Please make it… s–stop–uh…"_

_"I'm afraid I can't do that. There is no cure to reverse the effect."_

_The Beast's eyes widened in horror. "N–NO! NO! NO–NO–NO! Change me back! CHANGE! ME! BACK– AGGGGHHHH!"_

* * *

><p>When we finally exited the shelter, we could already see the fighting between our forces and the Beast's men off in the distance. As Brenner signaled Lin and Rusk to go on ahead with the rest of the battalion and the ZECTrooper "reinforcements," he looked to Deadeye, Rika, and I and said, "Okay, gang, let's suit up and take out some baddies."<p>

"Right!" We nodded.

"Let's do this!" The ZECTers added.

**STANDBY!**

I quickly attached the Rider Belt around my waist as the captain put on his Rider Brace, Deadeye pulled out the Drake Grip, and Rika readied the Sasword Yaiver. "HENSHIN!"

**HENSHIN!**

The energy hexagons coated us and soon we were donned in our Masked Form armors. Once the transformation was complete, the four of us hopped into the back of an open-ended pick-up truck as it drove us towards the sight of the battlefield. "Looks like it's, all mercenaries," Deadeye stated as he looked through his binoculars. "No Worms in sight."

"Yeah, but they could be disguised as Worms. Keep your eyes peeled." Brenner cautioned.

Rika looked to him confused as she said, "But, Sir, if there are Worms, wouldn't the ZECTers have detected them already?"

"She does have a point." I agreed. "They would've told us by now."

Brenner sighed and nodded. "Fair enough, but some may show up later looking for hosts, so be ready."

"Yes sir." We nodded.

A few moments later, the truck pulled up to the battle site, well behind our front line for safety. At the captain's command, the four of us hopped out of the back of the truck and ran towards our front line, Deadeye and I firing towards the Beast's mercenaries as Brenner and Rika ran behind us.

A few tanks tried to fire at us, but we managed to dodge and avoid the blasts and copters and jets fired on them with their missiles, destroying them in the process. "Some of these blasts are getting WAY too close for comfort," I stated to Kabuto.

"Then maybe we should shed some extra weight, aibou!" Kabuto suggested happily.

"Took the words out of my mouth!" I grinned behind my helmet before grabbing Kabuto's horn and the armor spread out a bit while steam hissed and electricity crackled throughout my armor. "Cast off!" I shouted before flipping Kabuto's horn completely.

**CAST OFF!**

The bits of my Masked Form armor shot off, striking several of the Beast's men dead as I entered my Rider Form.

**CHANGE: BEETLE!**

Now in my faster form, I rushed forward towards on the mercenaries' artillery guns at normal speed with my KunaiAx Gun set to Ax Mode. "Take this!" I shouted as I leapt into the air and cleaved through the massive barrel of the cannon.

I jumped back and–

*BOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The artillery cannon was destroyed. "Heh, that oughta take some heat off our troops," I said, slightly smug before turning towards my next target.

Rika then rushed through a hail of enemy fire towards a large hill to the northeast side of the battlefield. "I've got snipers up on that ridge. Moving to intercept!"

**CLOCK UP!**

Going into Clock Up mode, she sped towards the snipers and slashed the rifles themselves destroying them before she hit the mercenaries upside the head before they fell unconscious. "Ooo, they'll be feeling that tomorrow," Sasword joked.

"More like they aren't waking up for a while." Rika said.

Deadeye, meanwhile, had taken up position behind one of the Beast's overturned Humvees and was busy sniping out many of the enemy mercenaries. "C'mon, they could at least make it _kinda_ challenging for me!"

"Well apparently, they _want_ to be target practice." Drake said.

Deadeye twirled his blaster once before saying, "Then let's play a game of speed shoot."

**RIDER SHOOTING!**

"Say hello to my little friend!" Deadeye shouted before going trigger happy. He rapid-fired his Rider Shooting, sending out multiple, smaller versions of the one large blast he usually shot off for his finisher attack. The blasts connected with multiple mercs, sending them flying or straight to the ground. "No trouble at all."

**RIDER STING! **

"Have a taste of my stinger you meanies!" TheBee shouted from Brenner's wrist.

Brenner's fist collided with the ground in front of several of the Beast's men, causing a large explosion that sent several of them flying backwards. "Now that's what I call sending them flying," Brenner said, impressed with himself.

However, as he continued shooting at the Beast's men, Deadeye then said, "But something isn't right. Guys, this is too easy. And… where's the Beast? He'd _never_ miss out on a fight."

"That _is_ weird." I said. "What do _you _think Captain?"

Brenner eyed the battlefield, his eyes darting back and forth under his helmet. "You're right, something isn't right about this. Without the Beast, they're completely disorganized. Something is–"

***BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!***

"W–Worm detected!" Kabuto shouted.

"And it's coming in hot!" Sasword warned.

Rika looked down at Sasword and said, "Where is it coming from Sasword!? How soon until it approaches?"

"It's coming now!"

And that was when it got there. Rushing over a ridge at Clocked Up speeds was the newest Worm. It was a red–orange Worm and it looks… well, dangerous. It had black markings all over its body and bright blue crystal–like eyes. Its mouth had sharp pincers and sharp quills on every part of itself. Lastly, attached to each of its forearms was, what appeared to be an insect's thorax shaped into the barrel of a cannon. It was the Fire Ant Worm. And yet… strangely, I found the Worm familiar.

"H–Hey, does this Worm somehow look familiar?" I stuttered.

The four of us looked to the Worm as he approached us. "I…" Rika started, "…I don't know how exactly, but… it does give off a feeling of familiarity."

_**"TIME FOR ME TO CRUSH SOME ROACHES!"**_

W–Wait a minute! Th–That's–!

"THE BEAST!?" All four of us shouted in unison as the Fire Ant Worm/Beast began firing randomly on the Rubinelle forces, blasting explosive fireballs from the thorax cannons on his arms.

"What the heck did he _do_ to himself?!" Deadeye demanded.

"He got… turned into a Worm?" Brenner asked, still trying to figure out what was going on.

Sgt. Rusk then said over radio, [_"Captain, Tech Platoon has eyes on the Worm. We're setting up mortar positions to target the enemy."_]

"Negative Sergeant! Have Tech Platoon retreat! The Riders and I will take care of this Worm!" Brenner ordered.

Rusk's sigh could be heard over radio as he said, [_"Y–Yes, Sir, we're preparing to move back and–!"_] He paused then as he said, [_"Captain, we have a problem! Some of the Beast's men have us cut off! They control the northern pass! We're gonna have to try a fighting retreat!"_]

"Grrrr… alright, but don't do anything stupid!" Brenner gritted.

[_"Understood, Captain! We're starting to pull out now!"_] Rusk replied as weapons fire was heard in the background.

"We've gotta get over there and help Tech Platoon!" I shouted.

Deadeye nodded in agreement as he said, "I'll move Sniper Platoon into a better position to cover Charlie Company to keep them covered."

"Go do that! Rika, go with him! You and I will handle the Beast Kurogasa!" Brenner said.

"You got it, Captain!" I replied with a nod.

Rika and Deadeye then rushed off to join up with Sniper Platoon to help protect Charlie Company while Brenner and I went to go help Tech Platoon with the Beast.

_**"WHERE'S SHINAMORI?! I WANNA CRUSH THAT ROACH!"**_ The Beast yelled.

Sergeant Rusk looked towards the Beast/Fire Ant Worm, raising his rifle with its grenade launcher and shouted, "I wouldn't worry about him! We're _more_ than enough to crush you, 'Roach!'"

"RUSK! NO!" I yelled.

"Get out of here!" Brenner shouted.

However, Rusk and his men started to attack, launching grenades from their rifles at the Beast. They didn't really have any choice. There was fighting behind Tech Platoon, keeping them from going that way and with the Beast in front, they couldn't run that way, either.

_**"YOU WANNA DIE FIRST ROACH?! THEN BE MY GUEST!"**_

As the Beast aimed his arm–thorax–blasters at Tech Platoon, charging up two huge fireballs, Rusk charged at the mercenary–turned–Worm, yelling at the top of his lungs. He had a bayonet attached to his rifle and slammed it into Beast's chest, causing the Worm to scream in pain, its arms instinctively aiming upwards, firing the blasts skyward.

Roaring in pain, the Beast knocked Rusk away with a powerful swing of his arm.

*CRACK!*

We could hear Rusk's ribs crack from where we were. Pulling the rifle out of his body, he shouted, "I am gonna kill you first, roach!"

"Kurogasa, we need to move, now!"

**CLOCK UP!**

"On it!"

**CLOCK UP!**

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

"RIDER KICK!" I shouted.

**RIDER KICK!**

Brenner then turned TheBee around to deploy his stinger. "RIDER STING!"

**RIDER STING!**

I leapt into the air to deliver a flying kick version of my finisher while Brenner leapt into the air to perform a flying punch. However–

_**"STAY OUT OF THIS ROACHES!"**_ The Fire Ant Worm/Beast shouted, turning our way quickly and releasing a storm of sharpened quills from his body along with fire blasts from his thorax cannons. Brenner and I yelled in pain as the sharpened quills hit our armors and sparks flew off before we tumbled to the ground, with smoke trailing off.

**CLOCK OVER!**

The Beast then turned to Rusk, laying on the ground heaving and panting in pain, and picked him up by the neck. _**"Now then… I guess if I can't kill Shinamori today, I'll settle for his number two!"**_ He then put one of his thorax cannons to Rusk's stomach, causing the sergeant to shiver in terror. _**"Now, DIE!"**_

*BOOM! RAGH!*

Rusk couldn't even make a noise. The blast cauterized what was left of his insides, leaving a massive, burnt hole in his torso.

"RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSK!" Brenner and I yelled. The sergeant fell limply to the ground. He was already dead.

The Beast then turned to the rest of Tech Platoon and said, _**"Now, I'll destroy the rest of Shinamori's men, too!"**_

* * *

><p><em>Back at the base, Koji was in the command tent, listening in on the battle. And then–<em>

["RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSK!"]

_His eyes widened in shock, "N–No… Rusk…" Koji got out._

_He sunk into his chair as Gatack landed next to him. Rusk was older than him, even though Koji had a senior rank, Rusk being just a sergeant and Koji a staff sergeant. Nonetheless, Rusk never held it against Koji and respected the eight years younger man as his leader while he acted as a mentor to Koji, almost like an older brother or father–figure. And now... He was dead…_

…

…

_"…AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"_

_"WAAAAAAAH!" Gatack freaked out. "Aibou, what's wrong?!"_

_Koji stood up, gritting his teeth to fight through the pain, as he fought back tears welling up in his eyes. "The Beast's… a Worm and… he killed… Sgt. Rusk…"_

_"Oh man… I'm sorry…" Gatack said sadly._

_Koji didn't say anything. And then he heard the Beast over the radio say he was going after the rest of Tech Platoon. After a few moments of silence, Koji walked over to another table where his Rider Belt was sitting. He wrapped it around his waist and looked to Gatack and said, "Let's go. I'm ending this vendetta. Now. The Beast's gone too far now. He killed my second–in–command and now he's going after the rest of my platoon. I'm putting that animal down, once and for all."_

_"You sure?" Gatack asked._

_"Positive. The Beast is going to pay for his sins."_

_Gatack was silent for a few moments before flying over to Koji. "And I'm gonna help you do it, aibou. We'll make sure the Beast faces justice… together." As he landed in Koji's hand, he said, "Just promise you'll be safe, Koji. I don't want anything to happen to you."_

_"I will." Koji said. "Now let's do this! Henshin!"_

**HENSHIN!**

* * *

><p>"KISAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" I yelled, charging in at the Beast. While he tried to blast Tech Platoon, I slammed into him, knocking the Beast to the ground.<p>

As I struggled to keep him down, Brenner called over radio, "Rika, Deadeye, get over here, now! We need to clear an exit for Tech Platoon! The Beast… He's killed Sergeant Rusk!"

[_"WHAT?!"_] Rika shrieked horrified.

[_"THAT BASTARD!"_] Deadeye yelled.

"Just get over here, now!" Brenner shouted as he rushed towards the Beast after he threw me off of him. "He… He's stronger than the other Worms!"

[_"Say no more! I'm on my way!"_] Rika said.

The Beast dodged Brenner's punch before slamming his arm into the captain's back with a loud thud, knocking him to the ground. _**"You roaches are nothing compared to me! Now, if you'll excuse me! I've got more agony to cause Shinamori! I'll let my 'new friends' finish you two!"**_ He then gave an insect–like click of his jaws, summoning forth eight Salis Worms.

"Aw man, not them again!" I complained.

"We gotta beat them aibou!" Kabuto pointed out.

TheBee then said, as the Salis Worms cut us off from Tech Platoon, "We better move quick! If we don't get past them, the Beast will kill Tech Platoon!"

"Yeah, we know that." Brenner said as he managed to get up.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…!" I growled.

"Look, as much as we want to mourn, now's not the time. We gotta deal with the Beast and the Salis Worms."

As the Beast approached Tech Platoon, the soldiers moved backwards into an inescapable position. The soldiers tried to look brave, but they were clearly worried. _**"HAHAHAHA! Oh, it's gonna be so much more fun when I squash your boss after I've caused him the agony of killing all his soldiers."**_

"Not if we having anything to say about it!"

**RIDER SHOOTING/SLASH!**

_**"Huh?"**_ The Beast said looking towards Deadeye and Rika charging at him.

"HAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rika yelled as she charged in while Deadeye fired his shot at the Beast. The Beast barely managed to dodge the attack, getting partly struck by the two combined attacks.

"GRAAAAAGGGHHH!" Pushing himself to his feet, the human–turned–Worm turned toward the two newly arrived Kamen Riders and growled angrily. _**"Oh, fun… Looks like I get to kill all four of you, as well."**_

"MAKE THAT FIVE!"

HUH?!

Suddenly, my Rider Machine in Masked Form pulled up, with Kamen Rider Gatack on it.

"Koji!?" Rika shouted. "I told you to–!"

"Go and help Kurogasa and the captain, both of you," Koji said, his voice and cold… and well, downright terrifying as he kept his focus on the Beast. "Tech Platoon, go support the rest of our troops… He's mine."

"Are you crazy?!" Rika snapped.

"You're just asking for a death wish man!" Deadeye added.

"I! SAID! GO!"

Deadeye and Rika looked at Koji shocked, before the former said, "…Fine, but if you die on us–"

"I'm not gonna die." Koji retorted. He then pointed deliberately at the Beast. "…But he is."

"Then go get him."

Koji nodded. "Gladly."

Rika looked to Koji in silence for a few moments before saying, "Be safe."

"Don't worry, I'll groovy on back to ya when I beat him." Koji assured.

Under her helmet, Rika was blushing as she nodded and ran after Deadeye in the direction of Brenner and I to help with the Salis Worms as Tech Platoon went to the rest of the battalion, leaving Koji and the Beast to go one–on–one and finally end their rivalry. _**"Well, the roach finally shows up!"**_ The Fire Ant Worm/Beast said smugly. _**"I've been waiting for this. I can finally get your head!"**_

Koji, standing there in his Masked Form, just clenched and unclenched his fists.

_**"What's the matter!? Too paralyzed with fear to say anything!?"**_

"…I'm going to end you," Koji finally said, causing the Fire Ant Worm to make a confused noise. "You killed someone close to me, someone I considered a mentor and a friend and a trusted colleague. I'm going to make you suffer for that."

_**"Hah! Nothing but empty threats!"**_ The Fire Ant Worm snarled. _**"You think you can beat me?!"**_

Koji readied his shoulder cannons. "No, I don't… I know I can." Without another word, he began firing at the Beast/Fire Ant Worm. The latter retaliated in kind firing his sharpening quills and flames towards Koji. Seeing the blasts heading his way, Koji turned slightly and redirected his blasts to counter the attacks of the Beast before turning back to him, opening fire again.

_**"C'mon, c'mon! Is that all you got?!"**_ The Beast demanded.

"You wish," Koji said with an icy growl as he then let out a loud war cry, running towards the Beast as he rapid fired his shoulder cannons. The Beast roared as he fired back, trying to counter Koji's attack as he stepped backwards to try and keep some distance between him and the approaching Kamen Rider.

_'Now's my chance,'_ Koji thought as he started to slide back Gatack's pincers. "Cast Off!"

**CAST OFF!**

The armor suddenly crackled and steamed before it shot out towards the Beast, damaging him in the process while the stag pincers came up and attached to his helmet.

**CHANGE: STAG BEETLE!**

The Fire Ant Worm growled as he stumbled from the damage of Koji's ejected armor pieces and caught sight of his Rider Form. _**"Ergh… You think that's gone change things, getting a new armor set!? I'm **_**still**_** gonna kill you!"**_

"Go ahead and try!" Koji challenged.

* * *

><p><strong>1!<strong>

**2!**

**3!**

**RIDER KICK!**

Electricity gathered around my leg as I did my usual version of my Rider Kick, slamming my leg into one of the Salis Worms, causing it to explode in green fire.

"Aibou! Behind you!" Kabuto shouted.

I turned just in time to dive under an attack from a second Salis Worm who swung his arm at me, rolling out of the way of the strike. "Not cool man!" I said before I shot it with my KunaiGun in Gun Mode.

Deadeye then rolled out of the way of a two-pronged attack by two Worms before he shot at the back of the Worm I was shooting at. "You good?" He called out.

"Yeah, I guess…" I grumbled. "Still kinda out of it…"

"I got your back," Deadeye said as he ran over to me, him and I, standing back–to–back, guns ready as the four Salis Worms surrounded us.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "You're watching out for me, Stevens? Don't tell me you're going soft on me."

"In this situation, nah." Deadeye said. "These guys are easy to handle."

"True enough," I replied as he and I rushed forward, rapid firing.

Meanwhile, Rika and Brenner were busy battling the four other Salis Worms. Rika landed a horizontal slash on two of them next to each other while Brenner punched another before nailing it with the butt of a dropped rifle before using it to shoot at another one.

"I really hope Koji's okay." Rika said to herself.

Brenner looked over his shoulder to Rika as he used the rifle, now out of ammo, like a bat to knock one of the Salis Worms down as he said, "I'm sure he will be. The Beast won't know what hit him."

"Yeah but… how did the Beast turn into a Worm? What did he do to himself?"

Before he could answer, Brenner had to dodge an attack by another Salis Worm. Turning TheBee once again, he shouted, "RIDER STING!"

**RIDER STING!**

Slamming his fist into the Worm, it exploded as he turned towards another Worm. "That's what I want to know. Maybe…" However, his thoughts were pushed aside as he had to return to the fight.

"Maybe what?" Rika prompted.

Brenner replied quickly, "I'll tell you later! Right now, let's focus on these Worms!"

"R–Right!" Rika stuttered before going back to the fight.

* * *

><p><strong>1!<strong>

**2!**

**3!**

_"RIDER KICK!"_

**RIDER KICK!**

_Yellow electricity crackled as Koji jumped up in the air and the electricity traveled to his right foot as he was about to deliver a roundhouse kick while in the air. The Beast gasped in fear briefly before angrily firing on Koji. The blasts didn't stop him, but they lessened his power enough that the attack didn't destroy the Worm, but definitely wounded him. _**"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"**_ The Fire Ant Worm yelled in pain. _**"You roach! You'll pay for that!"**

_Koji landed on the ground and glared at the Beast from behind his helmet. "That's where you're wrong. If anyone is paying for anything, it's _you_ paying for what you did to Rusk and what you threatened to do to the rest of my platoon and my friends!" After he made that claim, surprising the Beast, Koji drew his swords and rushed at his long–time nemesis. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"_

**"Tch… if that's how you wanna play, then fine! DIE YOU ROACH!"**_ The Beast yelled, charging in at Koji too. The Beast fired nonstop at Koji, shooting fireball after fireball at him, but Koji, in his angry state, deflected every blast away from him with his two blades as he charged at the Fire Ant Worm, continuing to yell. That was when the Beast started to get scared and it was more obvious when Koji puts his blades in scissors mode._

**RIDER CUTTING!**

_"Time to put you down like the wild animal you are! RIDER CUTTING!" _

_The Beast yelled in anger and terror as he watched Koji approach him, pain joining the other emotions as the scissor-sword started to clamp down around him. _**"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"**_ The Beast roared in pain as the scissors–sword got tighter and tighter. _**"STOP! STOP IT! Y–YOU CAN'T… YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!"**_ He shouted as he tried to push the blades apart._

_"I CAN! I WILL! AND I JUST DID!" Koji yelled. "THIS IS FOR RUSK!"_

_Just like with the Cicada Worm, Koji then lifted the Beast above his head, yelling angrily as he did. _**"NOOOOO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"**_ The Beast shouted. _**"P–PLEASE! PLEASE HAVE MERCY!"**

_"After what you did, you don't deserve forgiveness," Koji muttered darkly. "YOU DESERVE TO BE IN HELL! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

***SNAP! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!***

_Snapping the blades shut, the Beast exploded in a huge fireball. At long last, the vile mercenary was put out of his misery for good. His rivalry with Koji had ended with the Kamen Rider emerging the victor._

_"It's over…" Koji sighed as Gatack detached from his belt and went back to civilian form. Koji dropped to the ground and panted, trying to catch his breath as the sounds of the battle began to die down. "The Beast is finally gone… that was for you, Rusk."_

_"You did it aibou!" Gatack cheered. "He's gone for good!"_

_Koji nodded as Gatack landed on his knee. "Yeah… finally…" Groaning in pain, some of his injuries having been stressed in the fight, Koji forced himself back to his feet and picked up Rusk's corpse. "But so is Rusk… I'm not gonna leave him here. He deserves a soldier's funeral."_

_"I hear you on that." Gatack agreed._

* * *

><p>It seemed like the fighting went on for much longer than it did, but it had only been about 20 minutes more that the battle went on for. We had finally defeated the Worms and the rest of the battalion had defeated the Beast's men. But there was still one question: "What happened to Koji?"<p>

"Man… that took forever…" I gritted, holding my shoulder in pain. During the last few moments with my battle with the Salis Worm, one of them tackled me down so hard, when I landed on the ground, it dislocated my right shoulder. Rika saw this and absentmindedly went to work resetting my arm. Clearly, she was thinking of Koji and wondering whether or not he was on his way back. "Rika... you okay? Ergh…" I winced.

"S–Sorry…" She replied quickly as she then focused more on resetting my shoulder. "I'm just worried about Koji… He hasn't come back yet."

"I know…" I got out. "But he's a fighter. I'm sure he'll come back."

Deadeye, who was sitting on a rock as a corpsman stitched up his arm, said with a shudder, "I'd be more worried about what he did to the Beast… I've never seen Shinamori that angry before. He was… terrifying."

"That bad huh?" I asked.

"That would be an understatement." Deadeye replied.

Just then, one of the soldiers said, "Sir, SSgt. Shinamori is on his way back! And it… It looks like he's carrying Sgt. Rusk, Sir."

"Really?!" Rika exclaimed, moving my arm so suddenly and-

*POP!*

"ITEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEITETETETETETETETETETETETE!" I yelled in pain comically while flailing. Sure she managed to pop my shoulder back into place but dang it hurts!

"Oh, you'll be fine, you big baby!" Rika shouted as she turned to go meet Koji. When he came into the base, man… Koji looked… he looked like a mess. "Koji!" Rika exclaimed.

"Heya…" Koji muttered. He then looked from her to two of the soldiers walking by and said, "Private, Corporal… Bring Sgt. Rusk's body to the infirmary. Ask Dr. Morris to prep the Sergeant's body for burial."

"Yes sir!" The soldiers saluted before they took Rusk's body to take to Dr. Morris.

Just then, Lin came in.

After saluting Brenner, she said, "The wounded have been moved to one of the two sickbays, Captain. Luckily, the civilians are mostly unharmed."

"And what about Isabella?" I grunted, still reeling from Rika's sudden move of popping back my shoulder.

Lin looked back and forth before sighing sadly, "Dr. Morris has been working round the clock on her, but... her condition has deteriorated badly. She was hurt in the skirmish, and the virus is continuing to develop."

"Will she make it?" Brenner asked.

She was hesitant to give an answer. Finally, she said, "It's touch and go. She's in Dr. Morris's hands now."

* * *

><p>It's been several hours since the battle and there was still no word from Dr. Morris. During that wait. Sgt. Rusk was given a soldier's burial and 21–gun salute.<p>

He had been buried right outside the shelter with a homemade headstone to mark his grave. Koji stood in his dress uniform as the head of the funeral ceremony, receiving the folded Rubinelle flag from the color guard and the bugler played "Taps." All the soldiers present saluted while the civilians who attended, like myself, Rika, Dr. Stauffenburg, and Dr. Morris, stood with our hands over our hearts in respect.

After the ceremony, everyone departed back to whatever they needed to do. As for me, I was sitting in the empty mess hall, sitting at one of the tables, thinking about a lot of things. Mainly about what happened to Rusk. Whenever I feel down, I would cook to get my mind off of things, but today… I was too upset to cook. I kept staring at the utensils and ingredients on the table and just sighed. I didn't know Rusk that well, but from what I had seen, there was nothing that told me he was anything other than a good man. Plus, knowing how close he was to Koji added to it. "Dang it… this sucks."

"Kurogasa?" A voice asked. I turned around to see Lin approaching me. "What are you doing here all by yourself?"

"Oh, hey, Lin," I said with sad smile before turning back to the stuff before me. "I was, uh… trying to prepare food. Cooking usually helps me relax, but… today I just can't focus."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Lin asked as she sat next to me.

I was silent for a while before saying, "I just wished I could've done something to save Rusk…"

"It wasn't your fault," Lin quickly said. "You and Capt. Brenner did everything you could. Unfortunately… the truth is that sometimes, everything isn't enough. No matter how badly we try, sometimes soldiers just can't save everyone."

"But I'm not a soldier…" I pointed out.

"You have the heart of one," Lin said as she came beside me, placing her hand on top of mine. "You're a civilian, and yet you continually risk your life and fight with the rest of us to protect other people. That takes a lot of courage, Kurogasa."

I blushed as Lin's hand was on mine. "You… mean that?"

Lin nodded with a sincere smile. "I do. You're extremely brave, Mr. Kururugi. Never forget that."

I was silent for a bit before I smiled small saying, "Thank you Lin…"

"You're welcome," she said with a small smile. She then looked around quickly before kissing my cheek. "Just stay tough, alright?"

I blushed redder. "U–Uh… okay."

* * *

><p><em>Koji was in his tent. He had taken off his uniform coat, shirt, and tie, leaving him in his pants, undershirt, and shoes. Sitting on his cot, he was absentmindedly strumming his guitar, unable to get focused enough on playing a full song.<em>

_"Koji… are you there?" Rika's voice asked. Koji didn't reply, not hearing her at first. "Koji…"_

_Finally, he recognized that she was there. "Oh, uh… Yeah, yeah… c'mon on in."_

_Rika came into the tent and approached him. "You okay?"_

_Koji wanted to keep playing his guitar, but it just wasn't in him at the time. Placing his guitar on the cot beside him, Koji shook his head. "I'm not… I'm really, really not, Rika… The Beast killed Rusk because he wanted to hurt me…"_

_Rika then sat next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I know… Rusk didn't deserve that…"_

_Koji leaned his head on top of hers as he gave a deep sigh, trying to fight back tears. "No, he didn't… I avenged him, but… It won't bring him back… putting that animal down won't change things…"_

_Things were silent between the two before Rika said something, "Hey Koji."_

_"Yeah?" Koji said as he looked at her. "What is– MMPH?!" Much to his surprise, Rika had grabbed Koji by his undershirt and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. Koji was stunned when Rika did that, but nonetheless tried to kiss Rika back. After what seemed like forever, they slowly pulled apart. "Rika… I never knew you felt the same," Koji replied in a stunned tone. In spite of all his previous emotions, he gave a soft chuckle as he said, "Probably because you didn't fall to my charms like the other girls back in high school."_

_"Baka… I fell for you the moment we met when we were kids." Rika mumbled._

_Koji gave a joking grumble as he said, "So did I, but if you had made your interest a little more obvious, I wouldn't have needed to go out with all those other girls. I only did because I thought you only liked me as a friend."_

_"Well, I made it obvious now didn't I? It just only took a failed attempted Apocalypse to do the trick."_

_Koji smiled at Rika as he took her hand and kissed her again. "You ask me, it wasn't a moment too soon… I love you, Rika."_

_"I love you too Koji…" Rika replied before the two kissed again._

* * *

><p>Back in the experimental medicine infirmary of the shelter, Will was busy pacing back and forth as he waited for news of Isabella's condition. "Come on, come on… What's taking so long?"<p>

Dr. Morris came out from the lab and said, surprised to see the young cadet there, "Will? You're still here? It's been hours."

It wasn't before long that myself along with the other Riders and Lin arrived too along with Dr. Stauffenburg, the ZECTers, and Kagami. Worriedly, Will came close to Dr. Morris and said, quickly, "How is she, Doctor!? Is Isabella alright?"

"And please no drama… I want to actually sleep tonight…" I added.

Dr. Morris looked to all of us uncomfortably before sighing sadly and looking down at Will. "I'm… I'm sorry, Will. Try and calm down, all right? I don't know if I'm the right person to tell you this, but…"

Will's face paled at that. "Oh no… Please, Dr. Morris! It can't be! It can't!"

"Doc if you're saying that-" I threatened.

Dr. Morris looked extremely sad. "Listen, I… No, I don't have the words…" He then started giggling uncontrollably. "I think I'll leave it to Isabella to tell you how she's made a full recovery! Oh ho! Oh ho ho ho ho ho!"

All of us nearly collapsed at that. Koji hopped up first and shouted, "C'mon, Doc! Really!? You're gonna make a joke about _that_ after today!?"

"Will!" Isabella cried out as she came out of the infirmary all healthy and hugged him.

"Isabella!" Will said happily.

"I'm going to be ok, Will. I owe it all to Dr. Morris's help and to everyone's kindness."

"That's great news!"

"It is, isn't it?"

"You're a real piece of work, Doc." Brenner sighed wearily after getting up. "Why didn't you just tell the boy she was better?"

"Come now, Captain! Where's the drama in that? Did you see the joy on Will's face? I felt like the director in one of those TV medical dramas. Oh ho ho!" Dr. Morris laughed.

"Unbelievable…"

*BONK!*

"OW!" Dr. Morris cried out after I bopped him on the head.

"I TOLD YOU NO DRAMA!" I yelled comically.

Rika facepalmed. Shaking her head, she said, "Moving on, my fellow doctor… I take it that Isabella is no longer contagious?"

Nodding his head, he replied, "Indeed. The virus incorporated the nucleoside analogues into its genomes, halting its life–"

"STOP!" Deadeye shouted. "Short version: she okay or not?"

"You are a most impatient man," Dr. Morris grumbled, "Yes, yes, she's fine. Although I must confess I had my doubts there for a while. She was on the verge of death, and then… something changed within her system. While I was recovering from my surprise… Voila! I can offer you no explanation for it."

"Why not just call it a miracle?" Brenner asked. "Sounds to me like Will's prayers were answered. That's all the explanation I need right there."

"I'm a man of science, Captain. Miracles are not something I deal in. However… Truth be told, I feel rather superfluous in that I truly did nothing to heal her. The one thing I can say for certain is that she's cured. So… Hip hip hurrah!"

Rika rolled her eyes. "Are you guys sure he and I are in the same profession?"

"I'm personally having a lot of trouble believing it," Koji said as he leaned against the wall.

Just then, over the PA system, one of the soldiers in the control room said, [_"Captain Brenner, you and the command staff are requested in the control room. The mayor of Freehaven wants to speak with you."_]

"Oh great… what does he want now?" I facepalmed. "It's never good with him."

"Let's just see what he wants." Kagami added.

"Yeah, but I won't hold my breath on this guy…" Dr. Stauffenburg sighed.

* * *

><p>Up in the control room, the mayor turned as he heard all of us enter the control room. "Where've you been, Brenner? I've been waiting to hear your report for hours!"<p>

Deadeye snorted as he said to Koji and I, "Gee, I must have missed that memo that said that the captain is answerable to the mayor in our chain of command."

"Yeah," We agreed.

"Calm down. Everything's fine. The girl made a full recovery." Brenner said.

"The girl? Who said anything about her? I want to know about the food!" The Mayor demanded. "Is the factory in working order? Will we be able to grow crops?"

"Yes. That's what I've been told." Brenner sighed rather irritably. "You'll be happy to learn you don't need to worry about food anymore."

"That… that is good news." The Mayor said, calming down a bit. "Now, we've got some additional business to attend to… As the civilian representative, there's something I need to discuss with you."

Brenner narrowed his eyes. "Go on."

"It's about this shelter. Do you think it can sustain this many people living here? We've assessed the situation and feel we need to cut our population roughly in half. There's–"

"You can't be serious." Brenner grimaced. "Do you realize how big this place is? There is more than enough room for all of us."

"Listen, Brenner. This is the collective opinion of the entire civilian population, understand? And having soldiers living here is problematic as well. Are we supposed to live in fear of being attacked?"

"Is there a point to all this?" I growled.

"You're soldiers." The Mayor said. "You have the weapons and training to survive anywhere. But we civilians are powerless. This shelter is our only chance for survival. We believe the solution is clear. Am I right, everyone? Shall we vote and decide like civilized men?"

Lin then walked up to him saying, "That's not a reasonable proposition. In terms of numbers, you civilians have an overwhelming majority. Additionally, a large number of our people are incapacitated by their wounds. Would you use that to your advantage? Is that the type of people we're dealing with?"

"How disrespectful!" The Mayor snapped, clearly offended. "I'm not trying to set up a dictatorship! This new world should be built on democracy. One person, one vote! That's what I say! Or would you rather threaten us with your guns and bully us into submission?"

Everyone was silent at that, until Lin suddenly took out and pointed a Desert Eagle at his head. "Ok, yeah. I'm comfortable with that."

As the mayor looked terrified, Koji then grabbed him by the collar and slammed him backwards onto the conference table. "Alright, I've had it with you, you fat tub of lard! We have done NOTHING but help you guys since we came into contact with you! We've protected you from mercenary raiders! We've defended you from Worm attacks! We're the reason you are here in this shelter! And how have you repaid us!? By SCREWING US OVER every opportunity possible! One of our best men, one of MY MEN, gave his life FOR YOU! A man far more noble than you sacrificed himself to protect your people! HOW DARE YOU DISHONOR HIS SACRIFICE?!"

"Whoa Koji, easy!" I snapped, holding him back. "You made your point!"

"I agree with the guy. They fought for us. They risked their lives for us." One civilian spoke all of a sudden.

"Some of them… died for us. We can't just throw them out of here." Another added.

"I want them to stay."

"I'll second that!"

The mayor looked to his people in disbelief as he stood up from the table after Koji let go of him. Brenner smirked smugly, crossing his arms. "You listening, Mayor?"

Lin joined him, re–holstering her Desert Eagle as she said, "It would appear we have a clear majority."

"B–B–But, how can you…? Wh–What are you thinking?!" The Mayor yelled, but all l he got were glares from us. "Fine! Do as you please! I don't care!" And with that he stormed off.

"Good riddance… for now…" I sighed.

"Thank you, everyone." Brenner said to the civilians. "You have my gratitude. As you know, my people and I have been on search and rescue 24–7 since the meteors struck. But most of the folks we've "saved" didn't last too long after the fact… To be honest, there've been times when I've questioned the value of what we're doing. But knowing that you understand makes it all worthwhile. Thank you."

Lin nodded approvingly. "Well said, Captain."

I shot him a thumbs–up and said, "I think we made a lot of positive changes for these people the last few days."

"Yes we have." Brenner nodded.

"I knew I was right in having our factions join." Kagami said. "I have a feeling we have a chance of surviving in this world after all."

I looked to both men and said, "Of course we have a chance of surviving in this world. So long as we stick together, there's nothing anyone can do to stop us!"

* * *

><p><em>In the medical wing, Will and Isabella were by themselves talking, "So we're going to stay here for a while. There's plenty of food, and there's safety in numbers."<em>

_"We can stay here together? Me too?" Isabella asked and he nodded. Things were silent between the two before she broke the silence adding, "I… I had nothing. I didn't know where I was or what I should do. I didn't even know my own name. Yet you took me in and cared for me, and now you say I can live here with you. Are you sure? Is it truly all right?"_

_"Of course! And now that you've recovered from the virus, I'm sure you'll get your memory back." Will said._

_"Perhaps… But I really don't need my memory back. I'm fine not knowing what happened before."_

_"Really? But–"_

_"You've given me all the memories I need." Isabella smiled before holding his hands with her own. "I'll never forget the kindness you've shown."_

_Will look down at his intertwined hands and Isabella's, feeling a warm blush come to his cheeks. "Isabella, listen. I want to, um…" He then paused as he saw someone approach from down the hall. "Lieutenant Lin? Are you Lin? Hello~ooooo?"_

_"Yes?" She asked suddenly appearing from out of the corner of the hallway._

_"GYAA!" Will freaked out, letting go of Isabella's hands. "How did you do that?! And why are you eavesdropping on our conversation?!"_

_Lin gave a sly smirk. "Are you talking about something you don't want me to hear?"_

_Will replied in a quick, nervous manner, "Well, no, but… that's not the point! It was a private conversation, and–"_

_"Whatever," Lin replied rolling her eyes. "Captain Brenner sent me. We're to report to A Block immediately. If we're going to be living here, we need to set up rules and regulations." After that, she turned and started making her way back to the command center._

_Sighing in frustration, Will said, "Fine. We'll be right there. C'mon, Isabella. It's time to go!"_

_Smiling widely, Isabella playfully saluted Will and said, "Yes, sir!" She then happily took his hand and walked with him towards A Block."_

* * *

><p><em>"Hehehehehehehehehe… yes… my latest creations are coming to fruition…"<em>

_The scientist was in his secret lab, watching as two of his engineers put the finishing touches on his latest creations. Using the information he had acquired from Gatack, and his various observations on Kabuto, TheBee, Drake, and Sasword, the scientist had finally succeeded in his ultimate plan: creating his own ZECTers. However, they looked somewhat different from the other five._

_When the engineers were done, he took them into his hands and give them to two of his armored soldiers, "With these, I shall be able to get all _kinds_ of results! It will be fascinating!" _

_The two armored soldiers then pressed a button on their belts and the buckles flipped down to be a platform of sorts before putting the ZECTers on them._

**HENSHIN!**

**CHANGE: PUNCH/KICK HOPPER!**

* * *

><p><strong>Fen:<strong> Oh snap…

**SD:** *bawling* POOR RUSK! WA–HA–HA! *grabs Fen's new shirt and blows nose again*

**Fen:** OI! This is a new shirt! *pushes SD away again* Man, enough with the bawling already! At least it's not one of the main characters!

**SD:** True… But yes, Sgt. Rusk has been murdered by the Beast, but at least in the end, Koji managed to avenge him, finally putting his fierce rivalry with the Beast to rest.

**Fen:** But it's not over yet. We got new enemies coming up and they're not friendly.

**SD:** That's right. Two all too familiar grasshopper themed Riders are gonna be joining the fray very soon, and sadly, they're not Ichigo and Nigo.

**Fen:** So stay tuned for next chapter!

**SD:** Ja nee!


	11. Chapter 11: A Storm Brews

**Fen:** Heya guys! What's up?! Fen and SD here for another chapter of Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin!

**SD:** We know it's been a while, but hopefully, this chapter will make up for that.

**Fen:** Yep! We fast forward one year into this whole thing and things are gonna get crazier from here on out!

**SD:** Couldn't have said it better myself, aibou. As you all are about to see, the conflict between the Rubinelle and Lazurian survivors is only increasing. And new villains will be arriving to add a new threat for our heroes.

**Fen:** So let's get into this chapter guys!

**Both:** Henshin!

**HENSHIN!**

Cast Off!

**CAST OFF!**

**CHANGE: BEETLE/STAG BEETLE!**

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

><p>It's been a year since the meteors struck. The citizens, Natives, and soldiers have all gotten along real well and are helping each other out at our home which is a nuclear shelter. In a lot of ways, we've turned the shelter into a small town with everyone there. However, one of the big things we still were trying to do was find more survivors of the meteor shower. And as luck would have it, during our stay at the shelter, we've been finding more survivors. Whether they were buried in rubble or attacked by Salis Worms, we'd save them. But now a new problem shows up. The shelter is starting to become a bit crowded.<p>

"Dang," Koji said to me as we leaned against a railing from one of the upper levels, looking down on one of the areas that we had converted into a housing area. "We seriously got a lot of people in here, aibou. We may need to start expanding."

"Good luck with that." I said. "Most of the people would want to stay _in_ the shelter rather than stay _outside_."

"I'm not saying have them live outside," Koji replied. "I'm saying that we may need to either find a way to build more space in here or find more places for them to live."

"Yeah, I know…" I sighed. "It's been a year huh…"

A long whistle escaped my friend's lips. "One heck of a year, I'll say. Not many people get to boogie through the Apocalypse and come out still dancing."

"And we're one of those people." I added as my eyes trailed and looked over at a certain lieutenant.

Koji caught sight of this and gave me a small smirk. "Trying to think of a way to ask her out?"

I slightly blushed at that. "B–Baka, don't be ridiculous."

Rolling his eyes, Koji replied, "C'mon, Kurogasa, don't be difficult. You've already asked me for romantic advice with Lin at least twice."

"Well yeah, I know but…"

"But nothing man! Just ask her out already." Koji said.

"I–I don't know…"

Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, Koji said, "Buddy, just go for it. The worst that can happen is she says no. Either way, wouldn't you feel better knowing how she feels regardless, rather than guessing or wondering? You miss every shot you don't take. Don't waste your opportunity."

"…" I remained silent at that before adding, "I… guess you got a point there."

Getting a little more serious, Koji replied, "Trust me, man. I know from experience. If I didn't take a chance with Rika, I never would have finally learned she felt the same."

"Well… yeah, I guess so…" I said rubbing the back of my head.

"Stop being so timid!" Koji shouted, finally getting a little frustrated. "Jeez, man, if you want to get her to like you, you need to be confident! You fight freaking aliens on a daily basis! Asking a girl out should be easy, for Pete's sake!"

"Alright! I get it! I'll ask Lin out!" I shouted back.

…

…

…

…oh crap…

Lin had at that moment been walking up the steps to the level Koji and I were on and she arrived up there just in time for her to hear my outburst. Of course, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised because the universe basically hates me.

Lin blinked in surprise. "Y–You want to ask me out, Kurogasa?"

"Oh, gee, would you look at the time!?" Koji said as he looked at his imaginary watch. "I gotta go do that thing with the… stuff with… that guy… uh, later!" He then ran off, leaving behind a smoke cloud silhouette.

"Oi! Koji!" I shouted. Dang it man! I hate it when you do this to me!

"Kurogasa…?" Lin asked. "I… Is this true?"

"I… I…" I said, before I slumped my shoulders with my head hung down. "Yeah…"

"…I think that sounds really nice," Lin said after a few moments of silence.

I looked up at her surprised and stupefied."…Huh?"

"You heard me," Lin said, smiling slightly. "I think it'd be… nice to get away from my duties for a while and spend some time with a nice guy."

"Ehehe… T–That's great!" I got out. "S–So, it's a date?"

Lin nodded with a smile. "Definitely. What would you like to do for it?"

"Mmmmmmmm…" I said thinking about it. "Well… I suppose I could teach you how to cook some of the food I used to make at my diner."

Lin thought about the idea briefly. "I like that. It's different and it sounds like it could be fun."

"Okay then," I smiled. "It's a date."

"A date it is." Lin smiled back before she went up to me and kissed my cheek making me blush before patting my cheek two times. "Don't be late," She added, before finally walking away.

My hand went to the cheek Lin kissed me on and I watched as she walked away. "Wow… I have a date with Lin."

* * *

><p><strong>(Cue Theme D–Technolife by UVERworld)<strong>

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi yo)** The scenery is a barren wasteland, with a sky that blotted out the sun. The camera pans slowly to the right as Kurogasa, with his back facing the camera, looks at the barren wasteland on top of a cliff.  
><strong>(Kesenai kako mo seoiatteikou ikiru koto o nagedasanai de)<strong> The camera then suddenly changes to a close up of Kurogasa's face before it went around his head, the camera's view being blocked momentarily when it reached the back of his head and when the camera finally circles to the side of his face, it showed Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Kabuto, before panning out showing him in his full armor. Looking up at the sky, a ray of light suddenly burst through the clouds shining on Kabuto before the screen goes white.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] tsunaida kimi no te o)** The title Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin appears on the screen and just before the song enters the next phrase, the ZECTers flew, crawled, and hopped around the title from behind and jumped towards the screen before changing to the next scene.

**(Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana)** Koji sits on the edge of his bed, sadly looking at his guitar on one side, his rifle on the other, as Gatack flew up and lands on his shoulder.  
><strong>(Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara)<strong> Rika was in the medical wing of the base, sighing and wiping sweat off her brow as she tries to organize her medical supplies, Sasword crawling around on a table while Brenner, Lin, Isabella, and Will were discussing plans for their next move.

**(Hibiku~ boku wo yobu koe sae kare)** Kurogasa was cooking and Kabuto watched on his shoulder before Kurogasa noticed something from afar on the horizon.  
><strong>(Toki ni sou kaze ni kakikesaretatte)<strong> Drake and TheBee fly past him as we see what Kurogasa was looking out: a swarm of Salis Worms flanking Dr. Caulder with Admiral Greyfield, Waylon, showing up one end of the battlefield along with Tasha and Gage on another end and they sending out their troops alerting the 12th Platoon.

**(Kimi wo mitsu–ke–da–su)** Kurogasa grabs Kabuto and transforms into Kamen Rider Kabuto, before casting off his armor and charging towards Dr. Caulder.

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi mou)** Dr. Caulder snaps his fingers and Kamen Rider Punch and Kick Hopper appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Kabuto for an attack only for the latter to dodge before going to attack them.  
><strong>(Waraenai nante, hito kirai nante kotoba sou iwanaide)<strong> Koji transforms into Kamen Rider Gatack and leads the Tech Platoon with their heavy weapons attacking some of the Salis Worms as Brenner transforms into Kamen Rider TheBee and he, Lin, and Will attack the rest of the forces.  
><strong>(Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara)<strong> Rika and David "Deadeye" Stevens transforms into Kamen Rider Sasword and Kamen Rider Drake respectively and attack some of the Salis Worms.  
><strong>(Ima wa sono mama de ii, kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou [WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH])<strong> As Kurogasa battles Punch Hopper and Kick Hopper, Caulder surprisingly joins in and transforms into Kamen Rider Caucasus, going to punch Kurogasa, only for the latter to dodge and he and Caulder stared each other down.

**(You and Me, two have spoken.)** The Hyper ZECTer appears from the distortion of time and Kurogasa grabs it to become Hyper Kabuto.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] Itsuka wakariaeru kara)** Kurogasa then grabs the Perfect ZECTer and he and Caucasus leap at each other, their attack causing a huge flash of light. When the light fades, we see Kurogasa, Koji, Rika, Brenner, Will, Lin, Isabella, Tasha, Gage, and Stauffenburg looking out into the sunset, the ZECTers with them as well before the song ends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 11: A Storm Brews<p>

_"Knock, knock," Koji said with a smile as he came into the infirmary where Rika was currently working._

_"Heya soldier boy." Rika smiled back as she stopped whatever she was working on and went over to Koji to pull him in for a kiss._

_Koji smiled when they pulled away, licking his lips slightly as he said, "Ah… How long I have waited to be able to kiss you like this."_

_"Oh shut up." Rika giggled, slapping his arm playfully. "What are you doing here anyway?"_

_Smiling, Koji slid off his backpack and put it on an operating table. "I actually have a present for you."_

_"For me?" Rika pointed at herself._

_Koji nodded as he reached into the bag. "Mhmm. I found it while I was searching through some of the old rooms here in the shelter. Since you agreed to be my disco queen, I figured you need some groovy footwear to dance in when we boogie together." He then pulled the present out. "Ta–da!" Koji had for Rika a pair of beautiful glittery gold platform sandals. "Your own pair of boogie shoes!"_

_Rika looked at the sandals in amazement. "Koji… They're beautiful! How'd you find them!?"_

_"Now that would be telling." Koji said slyly._

_"Come here, you!" Rika said with a happy blush as she grabbed Koji by the collar and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. "I love you…"_

_"I love you too…" Koji said dreamily swaying side–to–side._

_Rika's blush then got brighter as she said, "Koji… do you think you could… help me try my new platforms on?"_

_Koji's smile couldn't have been wider when he said, "I'd be honored milady."_

_He then scooped Rika up into his arms and carried her into one of the chairs. Gently placing her down, he smoothly slid off Rika's pumps and replaced them with the gold platform sandals. He strapped them up around her ankles so that they were comfortable. "Beautiful… Almost as beautiful as the foxy lady wearing them."_

_Rika blushed brighter. "As weird as this may sound, I really like seeing you go back to your disco king side."_

_"Heh, I'll admit, I missed being like this." Koji scoffed good-naturedly. He then stood up and got very close to Rika. "You make feel… groovy, baby."_

_"Oh Koji…" Rika said sweetly before the two kissed again._

* * *

><p>Later in the evening, we were all gathered in the main part of the shelter for a special event. Koji and Deadeye for their actions with the battalion were being promoted by Capt. Brenner for their heroism and valor. All the soldiers were dressed in their dress uniforms. I was dressed in a dark navy blue suit that I had found during our travels while Rika was wearing a white dress she had and… gold platform sandals I had never seen before. "Rika… Where'd you get those shoes?"<p>

"Hm?" Rika said before looking down and realizing it and slightly blushed. "Oh these. Um… Koji found them."

"He found them?" I asked in disbelief. "Of all things to find in an apocalyptic world, he found those?"

"Apparently someone here was as big of a disco fanatic as he was."

Koji and Deadeye marched onto the stage and stood in front of Capt. Brenner, saluting him when they got there. Both were dressed in their dress uniforms. On Koji's head was the elite purple beret of a combat engineer while Deadeye wore the gray–blue beret of a scout sniper.

Brenner returned their salutes with Lin standing to his side. "Good evening, everyone," he began. "Today, we wish to honor two of the Rubinelle Army's 12th Infantry Battalion's bravest and most honorable soldiers for their heroism and courageous acts on the battlefield. These men are Sergeant Davis Stevens and Staff Sergeant Koji Shinamori."

Everyone clapped and applauded including Rika and I. We couldn't be happier for them.

"Sergeant Stevens," Brenner stated as Stevens stepped forward, "You have proudly led Sniper Platoon since the meteor strikes began and have helped keep this battalion safe with them and as a Kamen Rider. It is my honor to hereby promote you to the rank of Staff Sergeant."

"Thank you sir." Deadeye saluted.

Brenner saluted back before handing Deadeye his new chevrons. His current ones were three stripes pointing upwards like a triangle while his new ones were the same but with one bottom stripe that was like the bottom half of a circle.

He then walked over to Koji. "Staff Sgt. Shinamori, words cannot express how proud I am for not only avenging Rusk, one of our fallen comrades, but finally defeating the Beast once and for all." Brenner said. "You've led Tech Platoon through some of their toughest challenges and you have saved us all many times over. For this reason, it is my honor to promote you to the rank of Sergeant First Class."

"Thank you sir. It means a lot." Koji saluted.

Brenner then handed Koji his new chevrons, these ones having three top stripes and two bottoms stripes. "Congratulations, both of you," Brenner then said as he shook both Koji and Deadeye's hands as everyone applauded again.

After that, Koji and Deadeye saluted again and were dismissed from the stage as everyone got up to socialize. We went over to the two and Rika rushed up to Koji. "Congratulations, Honey!" She then pressed her lips to his cheek in a big kiss, leaving a lipstick mark on his cheek.

"Heh, heh, thanks." Koji grinned.

"We're proud of ya aibou!" Gatack said, flying towards him.

Drake flew over to Deadeye and said, "You too, buddy! We're really proud of you both!"

"Meh, it's nothing really." Deadeye shrugged.

"Nothing, it's something!" Drake said. "And I say we celebrate!"

"Sorry, guys, but we'll have to put those celebrations on hold," Lin said as she and Brenner approached us. "We have reports of activity near the coastline. Not sure what exactly it is, but figured we should go check it out."

"Geez… buzzkill much?" Gatack muttered.

Brenner looked to Gatack and shrugged. "No choice. There's the potential that there are more refugees out there who need our help."

"Hehhhhhhhhhhh…" Gatack sighed.

"Hey no worries buddy! We got this!" Kabuto said, flying over to him.

Stauffenburg then came over to us and said, "Well, if you all are gonna be heading out, I have good news: I was able to put together Rider Machines for all you guys. I found some motorcycles here in the shelter and modified them."

"Really?" I asked.

"Uh–huh. With the help of ZECT of course."

I sighed. "Of course. Now I'm not sure if we can trust those bikes."

"Oh give it a rest will ya?" Koji asked. "Can you at least _pretend_ to trust them?"

I looked sideways at Koji. "Do _you_ trust them?"

"Of course not," Koji retorted with a roll of his eyes, "But I'm willing to work with them and give them the benefit of the doubt until they give us a legitimate reason to distrust them."

"Fine, fine," I admitted begrudgingly. "I just hope this doesn't come back to bite us."

* * *

><p>We arrived at a beach on the edge of the RubinelleLazurian border… or at least it was when the two countries existed. We five Riders were on our Rider Machines while Lin, Will, and Dr. Stauffenburg were in a Humvee. We parked on the beach and started to search for any signs of refugees.

But so far, there have been no sign.

"Nothing…" I sighed as I looked aimlessly. "Nothing but sand and water."

Koji put down the binoculars he had, him and Stevens back in their camouflage fatigues, and said, "Doesn't look like there has been a person here in weeks."

"Not surprising, seeing how the world is now." Rika said.

Will and Lin had gone a little further out to search. As they returned to the spot where we all were, Brenner asked, "Any news, Will?"

"No sir. There's nobody here." Will shook his head.

"I see." Brenner sighed. "Then we'll just have to keep looking."

Deadeye shrugged as he walked towards the ocean to look out at the horizon. "I don't think we should stay out here too long, though, Boss. For all we know, that distress call could have been a trap."

"Still…" Will trailed off looking at the sky. "It's been a whole year since the meteors hit and we still can't see the sun. How long until we can see a clear blue sky again?"

Brenner walked up behind Will and put his hand on his shoulder. "Don't give up hope. The sun will find a way to break through again. However, I think it's time to increase our search radius, even if we have to leave the shelter. What's our supply situation, Lin?"

She grimaced at that. "We have enough for another three months. But more and more refugees have been coming to the shelter. We're already over capacity, and they are still coming. If we keep taking them in…"

"There has to be something we can do for them all," Rika suggested hopefully. "Surely we can find a way to help them out."

"We'll figure something out." Brenner assured. "We're not turning anyone away. Will, what's the current status of the civilian population?"

Will scratched the back of his head. "Everyone seems to be getting by, and they're all helping each other. But, then again, they don't know just how low our food supplies are…"

"I'll figure something out," I said with a small smile. "I'm sure I can figure out some meals to fill up the people while limiting our use of rations."

Will turned to us and stated with fierce determination, "I won't let that happen! We'll just find a new place to live! We can't resort to fighting our own people."

"That won't happen, Will," I assured him. "We'll figure out a way to accommodate everyone."

"Okay. I'll go back to searching for more people!" Will said before leaving.

"I'm worried that Will is pushing himself too hard. I know he wants to help, but he puts a lot of pressure on himself." Lin sighed.

"Can you blame him?" I asked. "He sees himself as a civilian, not a soldier."

Koji had an "ah–ha" face on. "That's why he's worried the other civilians might become a burden on us."

Lin simply shrugged and sighed. "He doesn't make things easy for himself."

"Ain't _that_ the truth," I scoffed.

Deadeye winced as he said, "Captain… I've started hearing some disturbing rumors from incoming refugees. They say there is a war raging in the north."

"Are you serious?" Koji asked incredulously.

Rika looked to Deadeye and said, "I don't see how. There's no one left to start a war."

"Well there're the Lazurians…" I reminded.

Lin said seriously, "Deadeye is right, Sir. There are rumors that the survivors have been banding together. And that someone has dragged them into a full-scale war. However, it's only a rumor."

"We got our work cut out for us don't we…?" Brenner sighed.

Just then, Will gasped as he put down his binoculars and shouted, "Captain, look out there! It looks like there are Rubinelle Navy ships under attack!"

"WHAT?!"

"Ships? All the way out here?!" I asked shocked.

Koji, in surprise, stated, "I didn't think any of the navy would have survived the meteor strike."

"Neither would I." Brenner said. "Well, we now got ourselves a mission."

Deadeye looked to Brenner and said, "Cap, what kind of naval units do we have available, if any? We're not gonna be much help to our guys without ships."

"Well…" Brenner said, trying to think. "To be honest, I'm not sure. We haven't seen any ships on any of our ports since the meteors hit."

"I saw some gunboats and a sub in the lower part of the shelter," Lin said. "They could be here in ten minutes if we can call in and gets crews for them ASAP."

Koji looked worried. "That's good and all, LT, but that won't be enough. Our guys out there only have a few gunboats, two destroyers, and a cruiser. Those Lazurians have a battleship, two cruisers, two destroyers, and a frigate!"

Stauffenburg then cleared his throat to get our attention. "I _might_ be able to get us some reinforcements."

I looked to the doctor with a deadpan expression. "Let me guess… from ZECT…"

Stauffenburg chuckled nervously as he said, "Um, yes… You see, there should be a protected naval base not far from here with ships."

My left eye twitched from that. "You've got to be–"

*BONK!*

"Ow!" I cried out in pain after Rika bonked me on the head and she looked really ticked off.

"Just be glad we have them!" Rika demanded. "We need what we've got!"

"Yeah, but–"

"KUROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~?!" Rika growled as her metaphorical flames rose really high.

"…I'm sorry…" I mumbled. "I'll shut up…"

Koji quickly got between us, pushing the two of us apart as he said, "Guys, let's not argue! Let's just get those ships!"

"Right!" Brenner said quickly. Turning to Stauffenburg, he said, "Doctor, call up Mr. Kagami and have him contact his people at this base and have them prep the ships. Lin," he then stated as he turned to her, "Call to the base. Have the helos bring as many of our pilots and aircrews here to man the planes!" Pausing, he then turned to the doctor and said, "…There are planes, right?"

"Yes, we have an aircraft carrier."

"Good. Call him up." Brenner said.

"You got it!" The doctor said, before using his radio.

"The rest of you, transform and roll out!" Brenner said.

"Yes, sir!" We all shouted as we grabbed our ZECTers.

"HENSHIN!"

Quickly, we placed them onto our Rider Gears.

**HENSHIN!**

The hexagonal energy tiles formed over all of us and morphed into our Masked Form armors.

"CAST OFF!"

**CAST OFF!**

The armors steamed out and crackled with electricity before they shot out completely to reveal our Rider Form armors.

**CHANGE: BEETLE/WASP/DRAGONFLY/SCORPION/STAG BEETLE!**

Hopping back on our Rider Machines as Stauffenburg, Lin, and Will hopped into their Humvee and rode after us towards the ZECT naval base.

* * *

><p><em>While the battle between the Lazurian and Rubinelle naval forces was going on, the scientist was watching it from his base, having a hidden camera droid watching it. "Hmm… I was not expecting the Kamen Riders to arrive so soon. Fascinating, simply fascinating. I suppose I could bring in some X factors into this experiment."<em>

_Pressing a button on his computer, a few moments later two beings came up in an elevator. "I think it is time for our Rider friends and you two to get introduced," he said to the man and the woman, their features unseen in the darkness. "Show them no mercy… I need you to go all out for me to get the most accurate results."_

_Without a word, the two unknown soldiers nodded went on their way._

* * *

><p>In spite of my personal reservations, Stauffenburg made the call to Kagami and gave us access to the ZECT naval base. And inside was an incredibly surprising array of navy ships. "Can you dig this!?" Koji gasped in astonishment.<p>

"Why do I feel so one–upped?" I muttered as I stared with my left eye twitching behind my mask.

"Kurogasa, chill," Rika said, putting her hand on my shoulder. "You have no reason to feel one–upped. After all, how would you be able to provide us a military fleet?"

"Well… good point." I deflated.

"I must say… Rubinelle's Navy is nothing compared to _this_." Brenner said impressed.

"I think you mean _was_ nothing compared to this," Deadeye said under his breath, earning an elbow to the side from Koji. "Ow!"

"Be nice." Koji chided.

"Anyways, we can definitely use these ships to help out our allies." Lin cut in.

Just then, the sound of helicopters landing outside could be heard. "Captain," Will shouted excitedly, "We've got our ship crews here!" As soon as the helicopters outside landed, everyone on them rushed out of them and into the naval hangar, heading for one of the several ships docked inside.

"Good. We'll need all hands on deck, if we're to win this battle." Brenner nodded.

"Was that a pun, Cap?" Koji asked curiously.

"No." Brenner raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"…Never mind, Sir," Koji replied, shaking his head with a facepalm.

Brenner quirked an eyebrow under his helmet in confusion at Koji's question before shouting to the soldiers, "Alright! Everyone on the ships! We've got to get our friends out there some reinforcements!"

"Yes sir!" The soldiers nodded before we Riders went towards a ship we could use.

* * *

><p><em>Out on the sea, as the naval battle between the Lazurians and Rubinelle fleets were being conducted, a young officer ducked aboard the bridge of his heavily damaged cruiser as it was hit by cannon fire again. "Aw, man! This isn't good! We're getting shot up here!" Just then, looking at the radar computer, he noticed a familiar personal locator beacon. "No way…" Seeing the chance for help, he grabbed the radio and said, "C–Captain Brenner! HELP! They're attacking us!"<em>

["Davis?! Davis is that you?!"]_ Brenner's voice shouted surprised over the radio._

_Davis could hear briefly over the radio a young cadet asking Brenner about who he was talking to and Brenner mentioned he had served with Davis before. 2nd Lieutenant Chester Davis of the Rubinelle Army had been serving as an artillery liaison officer with the Rubinelle Navy before the meteor shower, hence why he was now with them. Frantic, he grabbed the radio again and said, "The Lazurians are all over us! We need help NOW. Captain!"_

["Why do these Lazurians have to keep adding fuel to this war?"]_ Brenner sighed irritably to himself. _["Don't worry Davis, we're on our way!"]

_"Please hurry, Sir!" Davis shouted over the radio._

* * *

><p>Our ships and submarines have finally deployed and we were on our way to meet up with Davis. I was standing at the bow of the ship as I looked over at the horizon. Off in the distance, I could see the gunfire exchanged between the two fleets.<p>

I was currently aboard a heavy cruiser with Koji. Rika and Deadeye were aboard one of the destroyers while Capt. Brenner led the makeshift fleet aboard our flagship, an escort aircraft carrier.

"You okay?" A voice asked. I turned to see Lin walking towards me.

"L–Lin," I stuttered in surprise. "I figured you'd be on the bridge."

"I wanted to see _you_." Lin said. "I hear from Koji that you're still having doubts about ZECT."

I sighed, closing my eyes beneath my helmet. "He told you about that, huh?"

"Yes he did." Lin sighed. "Look, Kurogasa, you have every right to have your doubts about them after what they did, but–"

"But what Lin? While we're fighting to save people, they hide in their technology and secrets. They've captured the Native Worms and human citizens, for reasons we don't know why. Don't you find that really questionable?"

Lin groaned, leaning against the railing. "Of course I do. No one is questioning that, Kurogasa. But the fact remains that we need them. They have access to weapons and supplies that we need to make any headway in rebuilding the world for humanity, especially now that hostilities are reigniting."

"I know but–"

"If you don't want to trust ZECT, at the very least trust _me_."

"I do trust you," I said very adamantly.

"Then trust me when I say that ZECT will help us out." Lin said.

"I can't do that!" I said.

"Why not?!" Lin asked frustrated.

"It's…" I got out, before I looked away from her. "Let's just say ZECT wasn't the first group I distrusted…"

Lin gave me a hard, suspicious look and asked, "What is that supposed to mean?"

I was silent for a while before saying, "Before the meteors hit, during my time at the Rubinelle Culinary Institute, there was this club that called themselves the Six Stars Chefs, a group of chefs at the top of their class. They were arrogant and the students didn't like them as they lord their skills on all of them. One day there was an annual competition on going against one of them and I was the challenger. It was long and hard, but I managed to beat one of them. It was the happiest moment of my life. But then…"

"But what?" Lin asked.

"After the competition, they apologized on how they acted and asked me to become one of their members. Being the naïve boy I was, I thought they had a change of heart that day. I accepted, and I went over to their dorms where they usually meet. But as I soon as I got there…" I clenched my fist tightly. "…they all beat me to the ground and left me half dead…"

Lin looked at me in disbelief. "K–Kurogasa… I'm so sorry."

"Now you see why I distrust ZECT." I said. "Because I don't want what happened then, happen now."

There was silence between the two of us for a long time. Finally, Lin said, "…And it won't. You learned from that situation. And none of us truly trust ZECT either. We're prepared for if and when they betray us. We need them right now, but that doesn't mean we're letting our guard down around them."

"Okay…" I said.

"Just relax, Kurogasa," she said, placing her hand on my armored shoulder, "Everything'll be fine."

"Okay. I'll trust you." I nodded.

Lin smiled slightly. "Good. Otherwise, I'd have to beat your scrawny ass, armor or no armor."

"Heh… oh really… I guess we're gonna have to add sparring to our date so I can prove you wrong." I scoffed.

A small laugh escaped Lin's lips. "Oh, someone has gotten confident, eh?"

"I learn from the best."

**[ALL HANDS PROCEED TO BATTLE STATIONS. LAZURIAN FLEET AHEAD.]**

"Guess, it's show time," I stated as I watched the soldiers run about the deck of the ship.

"It is." Lin said.

"Yo aibou, let's get this show on the road!" Koji called out, approaching me. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything, Lieutenant," he said to Lin as he came over.

"No, you're fine." Lin waved off. "I'll see you after the battle, you two," she replied before quickly making her way to the bridge.

"Right." I nodded.

"O~h, look at you aibou, getting all close with LT like that." Koji teased, nudging his elbow to me.

I looked to him sideways from under my helmet and said, "Not now, Koji. We got a big battle ahead of us. And I don't know about you, but I'm a little worried about fighting on the ocean."

"You'll be fine." Kabuto said from my belt. "And hey, not to brag or anything, but Drake and Deadeye should be able to fight really well in the ocean."

"Why is that?" I asked, looking at Kabuto.

"Du~h, where do you dragonflies are born in?" Kabuto asked rhetorically.

Koji looked down at Kabuto and said, scratching his head, "Y'know, Kabuto, just because Drake is based on a dragonfly, doesn't automatically mean he is good at aquatic warfare."

"Ohoho, you'd be surprised." Kabuto chuckled.

Gatack shushed Kabuto. "C'mon, man! You'll spoil the surprise!"

"Huh?" Koji and I asked confused.

"You'll see!" The two ZECTers cheerily replied.

Koji and I were confused, but we quickly pushed that aside. Quickly, Koji said, "Okay, Kurogasa, let's hop aboard the speedboat. The sooner we get on one of those ships, the sooner we can kick some Lazurian butt."

"Right." I nodded.

* * *

><p>Koji and I soon got on the speedboats and as soon as the speedboat got on the water, we sped off. All around us, cannons, machine guns, and missiles fired off and exploded as aircraft raced through the sky above. "Let's go after that battlecruiser, first! It's one of their strongest ships!"<p>

"Got it! Hang on!" Koji said as he revved the engine and sped faster. Swerving through mines laid in the water and torpedoes racing through the sea, Koji drove us up to the battlecruiser. Pulling up aside it, we hopped onto the deck, shocking the Lazurian sailors aboard as we started our assault.

"Who are they?!" One Lazurian soldier shouted.

"More like _what_ are they?!" Another shouted. "Fire! Fire at them!"

Effortlessly, Koji and I dodged the blasts, not even needing to Clock Up yet. Smugly, Koji asked, "You think we should stop playing with them?"

"Yep." I smirked behind my helmet before we both said, "Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

Time around us crawled to a near standstill. Seeing the frightened sailors haphazardly shooting at us, Koji and I sighed sympathetically. "It's kind of pathetic," Koji stated. Shrugging, he walked up to several of the sailors nonchalantly and almost lazily punched and kicked several of them unconscious.

"Yeah, this is almost too easy." I said, lazily pushing their foreheads with one finger to knock them off their feet.

[_"You two are having the same 'fun' we are?"_] Rika asked sarcastically over the headset.

"You too huh?" I asked.

[_"Something isn't right."_] Brenner said over the headset as well.

[_"What's up, Boss?"_] Deadeye asked.

[_"This battle is too easy."_]

Koji and I looked to each other, our faces contorted with confusion beneath our helmets. Over the headset, Koji asked, "You think this is a trap, Captain?"

[_"That's the only explanation I can think of."_] Brenner answered.

"If that's the case then–" I began, but then–

"Aibou, something's coming in fast!" Kabuto shouted.

Gatack then gasped. "It's a Worm! And it is coming in hot!"

"Captain, you and the other Riders focus on the naval fleet, we'll take care of the Worm." Koji said.

[_"Copy that! Drake! Sasword! Let's go!"_]

Deadeye nodded on his ship to Rika and said, [_"On our way, Cap!"_]

"Here it comes!" Kabuto and Gatack shouted.

Rushing onto the deck of the ship came the Worm at Clock Up speed, slamming into Koji and me, repeatedly before knocking us down to the ground. The Worm was a reddish–brown color with orange and yellow designs over its body with bluish–purple eyes. It had two muscular arms and two strong legs. Its exoskeleton back also had many legs and had pincers for a mouth.

This was the Centipede Worm.

"Good grief," I groaned as I got to my feet, "These Worms _do_ keep getting uglier!"

"All the more reason to bash them up right?" Koji said, doing the same.

"Agreed!" At that, I switched my Kunai AxGun into dagger mode as Koji drew his two swords. We then declared together, "Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

The two of us were at the speed of light as everything around us slowed down. The Centipede Worm Clocked Up too before it charged at us. Koji and I both dived out of the way of its attack before quickly rolling to our feet. I got up first, switching my Kunai AxGun to gun mode and shooting at it as Koji then rushed at the Worm with his swords. Multiple sparks flew off as the shots and slashes hit the Centipede Worm dead on, but it did little to no effect.

"Whoa, this thing is pretty tough," I grunted.

"Good thing we're tougher!" Koji replied.

"You got _that_ right." I said. "Let's see if a Rider Kick can soften it up!"

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

"RIDER KICK!"

**RIDER KICK!**

I jumped into the air and did a flying roundhouse kick version of my normal Rider Kick. But the Centipede Worm caught my kicking foot?!

"Nani?!" I gasped. Before anything else could happen, it swung and threw towards a bulkhead of the ship, hitting my back. "GAH!"

Koji went wide–eyed under his helmet. "Kurogasa!" Turning back to the Worm, he gripped the swords tighter. "Kisama!" Growling, he rushed towards the Worm and leapt into the air, slashing his swords down at it. However, unfortunately, as Koji was about to bring his blades down on the Worm, the monster caught Koji's swords, spun him around, and then threw him back across the deck, slamming into one of the cannons.

"AHHHHHHH!" Koji yelled out in pain.

"Capt. Brenner… we might need backup." I gritted, standing up.

There was a bit of interference over the radio as Brenner replied, [_"S–Sorry, Kurogasa–gasa… battle… going… harder than… on… own… must focus… naval battle…"_]

Well that's great… we're on our own…

"Aibou, tell me you got a Plan B." Koji gritted as he staggered up.

"You're asking _me_ of all people?!" I asked incredulously.

Koji gave a grunt as he said, "Okay… What if we try a Double Rider Kick?"

"And have it catch both our legs and swing us around? Good luck with that."

"Well, you got a _better_ plan?!" Koji snapped.

Before I could answer, something jumped out of the water, surprising and we saw that it was… Deadeye?!

"Did someone need a better plan?!" Deadeye asked as he pulled on Drake's tail and folded his wings back, aiming at the Centipede Worm. "Rider Shooting!"

**RIDER SHOOTING!**

The blast flew out of Deadeye's blaster straight towards the Centipede Worm. The creature gave a frightened clicking noise from its mandibles as barely dodged the full blast, but it did taking a glancing blow from it.

"Where the heck did _you _come from?!" I asked surprised as Deadeye landed on the deck.

Twirling his blaster on his finger, he replied, "Brenner sent me from the ship I was on. He felt him and Rika were enough Rider support for the main naval battle. Last thing we need is a Worm taking over a ship like this."

"He~y, stop spinning me!" Drake cried out.

"Huh?" Deadeye asked in confusion as he caught his gun. "Oops, sorry, Drake. Force of habit."

"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…" Drake groaned, feeling dizzy.

The Centipede Worm, meanwhile, was slowly getting to its feet, shaking its head slowly as it tried to regain its focus. As the three of us turned towards it, I switched my weapon to Ax Mode. "We still got company, boys. Shall we?"

"You just read my mind." Deadeye nodded.

"Let's do this!" Koji said before the three of us charged in at the Centipede Worm again, "Clock Up!" We shouted.

**CLOCK UP!**

Deadeye opened fire on the Worm, running to his right as he did. Thanks to Drake being solely a gun-based weapon, his shots were stronger than mine, causing the Centipede Worm to slow down. With it distracted, Koji and rushed in with our melee weapons. Koji landed an X-slash across its chest while I made a diagonal cut down its back. The Centipede Worm made screeching noises as it staggered backwards.

"Keep going!" I shouted. "Don't give it any chance to regroup!"

Koji nodded with a smug scoff. "As if I would even dream of it!" With Deadeye landing a few more distraction shots, Koji flipped through the air and slashed at the Worm with swords, this time bringing them both down horizontally over its shoulders.

I then followed up, switching my weapon to Kunai Mode. Holding it backhand, I rushed in, giving multiple slashes to its chest. "HYAH! HAH! HAAA!"

The Centipede Worm screeched in pain again.

"Alright, let's try this again!" I said.

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

"Don't forget me!" Koji called out as he did the same.

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

Then, together, we called out, "RIDER KICK!"

**RIDER KICK!**

"Rider Shooting!" Deadeye called out.

**RIDER SHOOTING!**

Deadeye's attack went off first, exploding at the Centipede Worm's feet and sending it flying into the air. Koji went next, delivering his Rider Kick as a flying side kick, causing another explosion that sent it my way. I then finished it off with my standard reverse roundhouse kick.

"HI–YAH!"

*KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

When I kicked it right in the face, it exploded on contact, sending reddish flames out and around me, before it died down and I turned around to see Koji and Deadeye. "And that's all she wrote."

Deadeye chuckled as he looked at the dead Worm. "That's a book I'd love to read." Putting his hand to where his ear was, he activated the earpiece in his helmet and radioed Capt. Brenner, "Hey, Captain, we got the Worm taken care of. What's the status of the naval battle, sir?"

There was static for a while before a voice said in the static [_"…Mission… Accomplished… Lazurians… retreating…"_]

"Haha! Alright!" Koji shouted as he gave me a high five. "Looks like victory is ours!"

"You know it!" I replied. We then heard a foghorn noise and we turned to see the cruiser Koji and I were on, approaching.

"There's our ride," I then said as we made our way to the bridge of the Lazurian ship we were aboard where the terrified bridge crew was cowering.

Finding the acting captain, Koji pointed one of his swords at her and said, "Ladies and gentlemen," making sure to sound as charming as possible, "There is no need to be alarmed. We are simply taking over the ship. No need to panic!"

"Uh aibou, is this really the time to be putting your charm to use?" I deadpanned.

Shrugging, Koji said, "I figured if I don't sound threatening, they're more likely to surrender peacefully."

"While pointing your sword at her? That's not very gentleman of you."

"…I got to show at least _some_ kind of force," Koji retorted.

Sighing and shaking his head at our antics, Deadeye looked to the Lazurians and said, "Look, do you guys surrender or not?" The entire crew nodding was all it took. "There. Done deal."

There was silence from all of us. Koji and I just looked to each and then shrugged. "Problem solved," we both agreed. Just then, we looked out the window of the bridge to see Brenner bring the cruiser alongside the Lazurian vessel, using hooks and rope to attach the ships together.

"Nice timing." I said.

"Yep. Let's go see Capt. Brenner." Koji said. "Deadeye, mind watching the POW's?"

Nodding, Deadeye said, "You got it."

"Alright, let's go aibou." Koji said.

"Right behind ya." I nodded.

* * *

><p>The two of us were waiting on the side of the captured ship as Brenner climbed over from the ZECT cruiser. Jokingly, he said, "Permission to come aboard, gentlemen?"<p>

With a playful snort, I replied, "Permission granted, Captain."

"Good job boys." Lin said as she came aboard.

"Heh, heh, thanks." I said sheepishly. "It was nothing really."

Rika then came on after them and asked, "What happened to the bridge crew?"

"Deadeye has them held up on the bridge," Koji replied.

"Good." Brenner said.

"What about the Rubinelle force we rescued? How are they doing?" I asked.

Lin sighed slightly, leaning against the railing. "They suffered some casualties, but for the most part, they're alright."

"That's good." I replied in relief. "So what's next Captain?"

"We should meet Davis and–

*BAM! POW! SMACK! WHAM!*

"GAH!" Brenner, Rika, Koji, and I cried out as we were suddenly knocked to the deck by an unknown force, surprising Lin. "What the–!"

We quickly pulled ourselves to our feet relatively quickly, despite the ship gently bouncing in the ocean water. To our surprise, standing on one of the ship's cannons were two robotic insects that appeared to be a pair of grasshoppers, one green and one gray. "Are those… ZECTers?" Koji asked.

"Who are they? I've never seen them before!" TheBee said.

"You ain't the only one whippersnapper." Sasword grunted.

Putting my hand up to my ear to trigger the headset in my helmet, I said to Dr. Stauffenburg who was watching via helmet-cam, "Doc… did you forget to tell us about two ZECTers?"

[_"I've never seen them before!"_] Dr. Stauffenburg cried out. [_"I didn't plan to make Grasshopper ZECTers!"_]

"If you didn't make them," Rika asked in confusion as the ZECTers leapt up and down, "Then where did they come from!?"

[_"How the heck should _I_ know?!"_]

*RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!*

Bullets from out of nowhere were fired off and multiple sparks flew off all over our armors. "GAHHHHHHH!"

Instinctively, I blocked Lin, knowing that without Rider armor to protect her, those bullets would rip through her.

Quickly, the ZECTers leapt from the cannon into the hands of two unknown soldiers, one male and one female. That was all we could tell in the quick look after throwing away their guns. They then silently attached the ZECTers to their belts which had platforms for the ZECTers to slide onto.

**HENSHIN!**

Brownish red and green honeycomb like energy encased the figures as the armors materialized themselves. There was a standard black body suit on them and their armor were grey and brown, and silver and green on the chest pieces with protrusions on the shoulders. Their helmets were designed into a grasshopper's head, although more spiked on the front and on the side. They also had brown and green gauntlets that went up to their wrist, with a yellow V shaped device, an anchor–jack, on the right hand of the grey one and the right leg on the green one.

**CHANGE: PUNCH/KICK HOPPER!**

Getting on our feet, we all gasped as we stared at what was before us.

"Impossible…"

"It can't be…"

"They look–"

"–just like–"

"–Kamen Riders…?"

"Uh… Houston, we have a problem…" Koji muttered.

Deadeye had just made it down from the bridge, a few other Rubinelle soldiers having boarded and taken over on the bridge for him. Under his helmet, blinking in confusion, he asked, "Are these guys our evil twins or something?"

Without warning the two new Riders now known as Kamen Rider Punch Hopper and Kamen Rider Kick Hopper ran towards Koji and I. As their names implied, Punch Hopper tried to land a flying punch on Koji, aiming for his face and Kick Hopper went for a powerful flying side kick aimed at my chest. Naturally, Koji and I dodged the attack and struck back with own punches and kicks.

"Hang on I'm coming!" Brenner said as he ran over to help us out, but Punch Hopper knocked him away so easily. "Gah!"

The two enemy Riders then proceeded to knock us back, Kick Hopper taking me down with a sweeping low kick, knocking my legs out from under me, as Punch Hopper sent Koji stumbling back with a right hook to the face.

"Let's get in there, Rika!" Deadeye shouted, readying his blaster.

"No need to tell _me_ twice!" Rika said before charging in, ready to slash at Kick Hopper with her Sword Yaiver.

Deadeye followed behind her, firing several shots at Punch Hopper from Drake's eyes. But the two Hopper Riders pressed the button on the sides of their belts.

**CLOCK UP!**

Accelerating to speeds beyond the human eye, the two grasshopper motif warriors became fast-moving blurs, attacking Deadeye and Rika at high speeds, sparks flying off their armors repeatedly from their attacks. The two never had the chance to hit their own Clock Up pads before falling to the ground.

"RIKA!" Koji shouted. "You bastards!"

**CLOCK UP!**

"Konooooooooo…!" I growled.

**CLOCK UP!**

We were back on our feet and ready for Round 2 with the mystery opponents. I moved in with my Kunai AxGun in Ax Mode to distract the two while Koji grabbed his swords and prepared to try and finish the two.

**RIDER CUTTING!**

"Let's see how you like this!" Koji said as he came charging in and was about to lift up one of the Hopper Riders when Punch Hopper did something with the ZECTer and bent its hopper legs forward.

**RIDER JUMP!**

Punch Hopper jumped up really high, and we looked up before Punch Hopper slid back the ZECTer's legs back to its original position.

**RIDER PUNCH!**

The anchor–jack on Punch Hopper's right arm bent back with the arm before the rider punched forward and the anchor–jack crackled with electricity, as it traveled down towards the fist, diving down for the punch.

Koji looked up in shock as Punch Hopper came flying down to deliver the attack. Lacking other options, Koji raised up his swords in their scissor formation and brought them against Punch Hopper's fist. The energy generated by both attacks began reacting to one another, gathering up into a powerful ball of energy. Before too long, the blast exploded, sending Koji and Punch Hopper both flying backwards. "AAAAHHHHHH!"

"KOJI!" I yelled.

**RIDER KICK!**

"Nani?!" I gasped as I turned to see Kick Hopper up in the air, diving down for his Rider Kick.

"Kid!" Deadeye shouted.

"Watch out!" Brenner said as he got in front of me.

**RIDER SHOOTING/STING!**

Brenner's left fist collided with Kick Hopper's foot, the two attacks gathering their energy together. As that happened, Deadeye then brought his blaster up to them and fired off his Rider Shooting attack. The combined energy of the three attacks had effectively the same result as when Koji and Punch Hopper's attacks collided.

"Guys!" I shouted as I went over to Brenner. "Are you okay?!"

"Ow…" Brenner groaned as TheBee was off the Rider Brace and Brenner went back to civilian form.

"Ooooooooooh, look at the pre~tty little bee~s..." TheBee moaned.

Deadeye, too, had de–transformed, groaning on his side as he held his Drake Grip. Drake was next to him, swirls replacing his eyes. "I can smell the color green and hear the number four…"

"Koji!" Rika cried out as she went over to him de–transformed along with Koji as Gatack had swirls too.

"Owie…" Gatack groaned.

"Oh boy, that's gonna leave a mark." Sasword winced.

Groaning as he held his head, Koji sat up and said, "Remind me to… kick that guy's butt the… next time I see him… because I legitimately may not… remember… since he hit me… that hard…"

At that point, Punch and Kick Hopper managed to come to as they staggered up… before they Clocked Up and got away.

"Hey! Get back here!" I shouted, but it was no use. Kabuto detached from my belt and I went back to civilian form.

"I'm sure they'll be back again, aibou," Kabuto said with a sigh as he landed on my shoulder.

"Yeah… now we got two unknown Kamen Riders to add to the list of bad guys." I groaned.

* * *

><p>In spite of the defeat we suffered at the hands of the Hopper Riders, we at least took comfort in our victory over the remnants of the Lazurian Navy. The ships we hadn't captured or destroyed had fled. Now, on the shore, we had met up with Davis, the young soldier who alerted us to the battle in the first place.<p>

"Oh, man! I thought we were goners!" Davis sighed in relief.

"Good to see you alive Davis." Brenner nodded with a smile as the two shook hands. "What have you been up to?"

Davis smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Me? Aw, I'm commanding a force for Admiral Greyfield. I've been looking all over for you, Captain Brenner!"

"The Fleet Admiral for the Rubinelle Navy?" Deadeye asked curiously.

Koji looked puzzled as he said, "What has he been up to with the asteroid aftermath?"

Davis suddenly looked nervous and stated, "Look, I'll come straight out and say it… We want you and your men to join us."

"'Scuse me?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Explain." Brenner frowned.

Davis looked sad, but determined. "A huge war's broken out between Rubinelle and Lazuria. Greyfield took command and formed the New Rubinelle Army so we could take it to 'em!"

Sighing, Lin rubbed the bridge of her nose and said, "You say that like there is still a Rubinelle and Lazuria."

"This world is a slag heap. What else could you be possibly fighting over?" Brenner said confused.

"Well, the… the Lazurians started it! So now we gotta wipe 'em out!" Davis stuttered. "And the Lazurians are led by the legendary General Forsythe. They rallied behind him and hit us but good! Truth be told, we took some lumps…"

Brenner frowned again before he said, "Continue."

Davis seemed desperate. Clearly, he wanted us on Greyfield's side, but for what reason was unclear. He then exclaimed, "Look, we... We have tons of supplies! Food, fuel, weapons… everything! Join us, and you won't ever have to worry about shortages. They can all live easy!"

Brenner quirked an eyebrow curiously. "'They?' Who are you talking about?"

I gave Davis a look. "You're talking about the refugees, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah, we know you've been protecting a big crowd of refugees and survivors. But you have to be running low on food and supplies, yeah? C'mon! Join us!" Davis urged.

"Our situation is none of Greyfield's concerns…" Brenner said.

"Look, man… Er, Captain. We need you just as much as you need us, and that's no lie. But we're both Rubinelle through and through! Not even doomsday can change that!"

Deadeye scratched his chin as he thought about it. "He _does_ have a point, Boss. Having access to Greyfield's assets could help with our Worm problem and that weird scientist dude. Not to mention now that we have enemy Kamen Riders to deal with."

"Hmmmmmmmm…" Brenner said in thought, before telling Davis, "Give us 24 hours to decide on this. You'll have my answer by then."

"Uh… alright. I'll be waiting." Davis nodded.

* * *

><p>After going back to the shelter, Lin and I finally went out on our date.<p>

We both looked slightly sweaty and beat up from a bit of sparring beforehand. Lin had won most of our bouts, but I was doing better and won a few myself. With that out of the way, we were now in the kitchen of the mess hall as I showed her how to prepare one of my specialties.

"So like this?" Lin asked as she was cutting up some raw beef. I was trying to teach her to make beef stew and apparently… she's not good at it.

"Eh… Need to make the pieces smaller," I explained as I came up behind her, taking her hand to guide her as she cut up the pieces. "You don't want the pieces too big. You want them to be bite sized."

"Oh… so like this."

"Yeah. Just keep doing that." I said as I continued to guide her hand, having my hands over hers. I blushed a bit at this as I was continuing to guide her. I mean being this close to her, and holding her from behind while trying to teach her how to cook, how could I not be? But then again… knowing Lin for a year, and Koji and Deadeye teasing me, I guess I shouldn't be. Maybe it can work out somehow. I could see she was starting to get a better hang of the cutting. "There we go… that's much better. See, you're getting the hang of this."

"Well, I have a great teacher." Lin chuckled a bit, before she turned her head to me and we noticed that both of our faces were very close to each other.

"Um… thanks…" I muttered as Lin and I looked at each other. The two of us stared quietly into each other's eyes for a few moments before it finally happened…

Our eyes closed…

Our heads inched forward…

And then our lips pressed together in a kiss.

Lin gently put the knife down before she turned her body around while I held her and deepened our kiss.

When the two of us finally pulled apart, Lin smiled at me and said with a chuckle, "You taste as good as your food."

"Uh…" I got out, blushing redder. "Thanks… I think."

"Hmhmhmhmhm…" Lin giggled.

"Still… wow… that was… something."

"Yes. It was."

"I guess this means we're an item?"

Lin giggled again, having the slightest blush as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her head. "Well… yes, but… let's just keep it on the down low for a little while, okay?"

"Tell that to Koji and Deadeye." I chuckled. "I don't think they'll keep their mouths shut."

Lin got an evil grin. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. _I'll_ deal with them."

"Oh… ok." I scoffed almost laughing.

"But until then…" Lin smirked. "I'm gonna be doing a lot of taste testing of you. Now c'mere soldier." Then she pulled me in for another kiss.

* * *

><p><em>"Well about dang time." Deadeye scoffed as he, Koji, and Rika were watching from behind a corner watching Kurogasa and Lin make out.<em>

_Koji chuckled as he said, "Attaboy, aibou. I'm glad to see that he finally made his move."_

_"But you two better be careful." Rika teased. "Lin's gonna do something if you two announce it to everyone here in the shelter."_

_Koji wrapped his arm around Rika's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, babe. I'm not _that_ stupid."_

_Deadeye scoffed and said, "Agreed. We'll tease him directly, but we aren't gonna risk the lieutenant's wrath by spreading it around to everyone else."_

_"Whatever you sa~y," Rika said before finally pulling Koji by his hand to leave, "Now c'mon Koji, let's go back to your room. I'm ready to learn some 'dance lessons' from you."_

_Koji's eyebrow quirked. "Another one? We already–" Then the lightbulb went off as Koji grinned smugly. "OOOOOHHHHH… one of 'those' dance lessons."_

_"Mhmm~" Rika replied._

_"See ya later Deadeye," Koji waved with a Cheshire cat grin on his face before the couple left._

_Deadeye gave them a nod as he said, "Don't have too much fun, now." He then turned his head and went back to watching Kurogasa and Lin. "Heh, oh I'm gonna have a lot of fun teasing Kurogasa about this."_

_"Stevens, what in the world are you doing?"_

_Deadeye stiffened up immediately as he heard Brenner behind him. "Um, uh… n–nothing… Captain… sir…"_

_"Nothing huh?" Brenner said, crossing his arms in suspicion. "Looks to me, you're doing some sort of recon."_

_Deadeye coughed forcefully as he tried to keep his cool. "Um… not particularly, no."_

_"Is that so?" Brenner said as he approached and looked around the corner. "Then mind telling me what you are looking a– oh…" He raised an eyebrow when he saw Kurogasa and Lin making out. "This is what you three have been looking at?" Brenner asked curiously._

_"Uh… yeah?" Deadeye got out._

_"Hmm…" Brenner said thoughtfully. "Looks like our resident chef finally made Lin loosen up."_

_Deadeye breathed a sigh of relief, seeing he was off the hook for the moment, and said, walking up next to Brenner, "Correct, sir, he somehow managed to get her to open up to him."_

_"Yeah." Brenner scoffed. "Alright, let's leave the two alone." He said while walking away, "Oh and if you and Koji start teasing him, it's a one mile run around the shelter for you two and I know that you and Koji aren't much runners back in the days of the Academy, so don't push your luck."_

_Deadeye groaned as he clenched his fists and started walking away after him. "Yes, Sir…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Fen:<strong> Well, well, well, what do we have here?

**SD:** A curious turn of events! That is what!

**Fen:** Yeah, Kurogasa finally got the girl!

**SD:** Well, yes, that… But I was referring to the Lazurian Navy attack and the appearance of the Hopper Riders.

**Fen:** Oh… well who cares about that for now?! Kuro got the girl! XD

**SD:** *quirks eyebrow* You didn't get this excited about Koji and Rika getting together.

**Fen:** We'll see ya next chapter!

**Rika:** Wow… he totally ignored you.

**SD:** *sighs while shaking head* Adios, everyone.


	12. Chapter 12: History of Hate

**Fen:** Hello everyone! Fen and SD here for another chapter of Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin!

**SD:** *snoring*

**Fen:** Oh great… hang on. *holds up a megaphone near SD's ear* WAKE! UP!

**SD:** *shifts slightly, pulls blankets overhead*

**Fen:** Son of a– wait a minute! *pulls covers back and pulls ear plugs out of SD's ears* GET UP!

**SD:** *Slap* BAKA! *Head grows ginormous* DON'T WAKE ME UP WHEN I'M NAPPING!

**Fen:** *shivers in terror* W–We just got a K–Kabuto chapter to do…

**SD:** You do it, I'm sleepy… *goes back to sleep*

**Fen:** But… never mind, just enjoy the chapter everyone.

**SD:** *snoring louder*

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

><p>"Ehe… ehe… ehehehehehehehehehe…" I said dreamily with a stupid happy look on my face as I walked down the hallway to my room. That make out session with Lin was ve~ry tasty.<p>

"Had a good time, aibou?"

Turning, I saw Koji walking in my direction, but dressed in a way I hadn't seen in a long time: he was in disco clothes. Koji was dressed in a brown leisure suit, white disco shirt with a wide collar that showed off his chest, brown platform shoes, a brown and white newsboy cap, and a gold male symbol disco medallion.

"H–Huh?!" I said startled. "Oh uh… hey Koji." I then added, "Um... why are you wearing disco clothes?"

Koji smirked as he adjusted the lapels of his shirt, "I'm, uh… let's just say… going 'dancing' with Rika." He then gave me a wink and elbowed me as he said, "Looks like you and the lieutenant did some 'dancing,' too."

"What?!" I blushed heavily. "No we didn't!"

Grinning wider, Koji got closer to me and asked, "Oh, really? Then what _did_ you do?"

"We just…" I said, but then stopped myself. "Why should you know?! It's none of your business!"

Shrugging, Koji said, "Because I'm your best friend and if anyone should know all the personal details of your life, it should be me?"

I gave him a stink eye as I said, "Do I really have to?"

"Well, you don't _have_ to," Koji chuckled, "But you and I both know I have my ways of getting the truth out of you…"

"Ughhhhh…" I groaned. "Fine… we're only on first base…"

Rolling his eyes, Koji replied with a shake of his head, "You were getting so defensive about that? Geez, aibou… You can be such a drama queen."

"Shut up…" I grumbled.

My disco loving friend shrugged and said, "Whatever, dude…" Regaining his playboy smirk, he adjusted the brim of his newsboy cap, patted me on the back, and said, "Now if you'll excuse me… Rika is waiting for me."

"Yeah, yeah…" I muttered as he strutted, I repeat, strutted away. Mattaku… sometimes he's a pain in the butt.

* * *

><p><strong>(Cue Theme D–Technolife by UVERworld)<strong>

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi yo)** The scenery is a barren wasteland, with a sky that blotted out the sun. The camera pans slowly to the right as Kurogasa, with his back facing the camera, looks at the barren wasteland on top of a cliff.  
><strong>(Kesenai kako mo seoiatteikou ikiru koto o nagedasanai de)<strong> The camera then suddenly changes to a close up of Kurogasa's face before it went around his head, the camera's view being blocked momentarily when it reached the back of his head and when the camera finally circles to the side of his face, it showed Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Kabuto, before panning out showing him in his full armor. Looking up at the sky, a ray of light suddenly burst through the clouds shining on Kabuto before the screen goes white.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] tsunaida kimi no te o)** The title Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin appears on the screen and just before the song enters the next phrase, the ZECTers flew, crawled, and hopped around the title from behind and jumped towards the screen before changing to the next scene.

**(Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana)** Koji sits on the edge of his bed, sadly looking at his guitar on one side, his rifle on the other, as Gatack flew up and lands on his shoulder.  
><strong>(Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara)<strong> Rika was in the medical wing of the base, sighing and wiping sweat off her brow as she tries to organize her medical supplies, Sasword crawling around on a table while Brenner, Lin, Isabella, and Will were discussing plans for their next move.

**(Hibiku~ boku wo yobu koe sae kare)** Kurogasa was cooking and Kabuto watched on his shoulder before Kurogasa noticed something from afar on the horizon.  
><strong>(Toki ni sou kaze ni kakikesaretatte)<strong> Drake and TheBee fly past him as we see what Kurogasa was looking out: a swarm of Salis Worms flanking Dr. Caulder with Admiral Greyfield, Waylon, showing up one end of the battlefield along with Tasha and Gage on another end and they sending out their troops alerting the 12th Platoon.

**(Kimi wo mitsu–ke–da–su)** Kurogasa grabs Kabuto and transforms into Kamen Rider Kabuto, before casting off his armor and charging towards Dr. Caulder.

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi mou)** Dr. Caulder snaps his fingers and Kamen Rider Punch and Kick Hopper appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Kabuto for an attack only for the latter to dodge before going to attack them.  
><strong>(Waraenai nante, hito kirai nante kotoba sou iwanaide)<strong> Koji transforms into Kamen Rider Gatack and leads the Tech Platoon with their heavy weapons attacking some of the Salis Worms as Brenner transforms into Kamen Rider TheBee and he, Lin, and Will attack the rest of the forces.  
><strong>(Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara)<strong> Rika and David "Deadeye" Stevens transforms into Kamen Rider Sasword and Kamen Rider Drake respectively and attack some of the Salis Worms.  
><strong>(Ima wa sono mama de ii, kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou [WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH])<strong> As Kurogasa battles Punch Hopper and Kick Hopper, Caulder surprisingly joins in and transforms into Kamen Rider Caucasus, going to punch Kurogasa, only for the latter to dodge and he and Caulder stared each other down.

**(You and Me, two have spoken.)** The Hyper ZECTer appears from the distortion of time and Kurogasa grabs it to become Hyper Kabuto.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] Itsuka wakariaeru kara)** Kurogasa then grabs the Perfect ZECTer and he and Caucasus leap at each other, their attack causing a huge flash of light. When the light fades, we see Kurogasa, Koji, Rika, Brenner, Will, Lin, Isabella, Tasha, Gage, and Stauffenburg looking out into the sunset, the ZECTers with them as well before the song ends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 12: A History of Hate<p>

The next day had come by and our entire group along with ZECT was picked by New Rubinelle Armed Forces via aircraft carrier and we sailed towards an island where the New Rubinelle Army was based.

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Deadeye said, leaning against a railing by the bridge of the ship.

"You and me both." I agreed. "This Admiral Greyfield sounds kinda fishy too. You said you were under his command at one time right Captain?"

Brenner nodded as he looked out on the horizon. "Yeah, I was… He was a commander known for always getting the mission accomplished, but he was a very strict and demanding taskmaster, often pushing the boundaries of what was considered acceptable."

"So basically he forces his soldiers to be overachievers… great…" Rika rolled her eyes.

Koji snorted. "That's putting it mildly," he replied to his girlfriend. "He has a tendency of barely staying within the lines of what was considered fair conduct. His methods could be downright abusive."

"So then why wasn't this guy court martialed and discharged?" I asked incredulously.

Brenner sighed. "Greyfield was so powerful and influential, most people were too afraid to make a complaint against him."

"Great, not just an admiral, but a dictator too…" I muttered, not liking him already.

"Well whatever the case, let's hope that our world's destruction changes his mindset." Lin said.

Rolling his eyes, Koji replied, "I wouldn't hold my breath on that one, Lieutenant."

"Captain! We're almost there!" Will called out.

Looking over to Will, Brenner replied, "Thank you, Will." Turning back to us, he said, "We should get ready for arrival, everyone."

"Right." We nodded.

* * *

><p>When we arrived at the base, we were surprised at the stark contrast between the ways our soldiers in the Wolves were compared to those under Greyfield. While our men were overall happy and full of camaraderie, the soldiers of Greyfield's New Rubinelle Army were… less than pleasant. The soldiers were stoic, unfriendly, and gave you the nastiest look if they so much as caught you making eye contact with them for not even a second.<p>

"Yeesh… so much for a welcoming committee…" Koji grumbled.

Deadeye looked to him out of the corner of his eye as Davis led us five Kamen Riders to Greyfield's office. "Would you expect anything less from the guy they call 'Admiral Hardass?'"

"Point taken…" Koji agreed.

"Mmm…" I said, feeling a bit unnerved until Lin placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Relax, you're okay." Lin assured.

I opened my mouth to protest briefly, but stopped myself as I felt her grip it a little tighter, comforting me. "R–Right."

Rika held her arms and shuddered slightly as she said, "I just wanna get this over with. I'm getting a _really_ bad vibe, guys."

A moment longer, we arrived at the door of his office. "Wait here." Davis said before knocking on the door and entering in. "Admiral Greyfield, the 12th Battalion commander has arrived!"

"WELL?! Don't just stand there like a slack–jawed idiot! Send him in!"

Oh boy…

Koji gave me a sarcastic smile and said, "This is gonna be _so_ much fun!"

We went inside where Greyfield was sitting behind his desk. While Rika and I, being civilians, stepped back, Brenner, Koji, Lin, and Deadeye stood at attention and saluted. Brenner simply stared at the man and said, "…Admiral."

The man stood up and went around his desk so that he was in front of it. He was a tall, heavyset Caucasian man in his 50's with short black hair and thick black moustache. He wore a dark maroon admiral's uniform with eight medals attached on his left chest and three patches on his right, with a black belt around his waist, dark maroon pants, and black combat boots.

"So you're the leader of the so–called Brenner's Wolves. Frankly, I'm surprised you're still alive."

"For now." Brenner narrowed.

Greyfield eyed Brenner intensely before nodding. "Yes, I remember you now! An adequate soldier, but crippled by ideological limitations! Your lack of patriotism and devotion was an insult to your Rubinelle heritage."

"The 12th Battalion _always_ fought with honor and respect for the rules of war." Brenner said.

"Rules of war? Ha ha ha!" Greyfield laughed. "Rules… you really are a relic from another age, Captain."

Koji snorted quietly and said under his breath, "Look who's talking…"

"What was that soldier?!" Greyfield snapped.

Koji replied respectfully, but with a thinly masked look of defiance, "I merely said that the captain's moral strength is _why_ we've survived as long as we have, 'Admiral.'" I gulped slightly. While I always admired Koji's guts and refusal to back down against a bully, at times his defiant nature could get him into trouble.

Davis, seeing that a fight was about to break out moderated as he said shakily, "Hey uh… come on now. We're all soldiers of Rubinelle, yeah? We should all pull together against the enemy."

Suddenly, an all too familiar and annoying voice said, "I don't think much of Davis, but the chump's got a point. We gotta plow the Lazurians into the ground. There's time for dancing when that's done."

"Oh no…" Rika groaned with a facepalm.

"Oh good, Waylon's here." Brenner said disdainfully as Waylon came in, acting all smug.

"Oh, you know it ain't a party 'til I arrive, brother man! That's straight–up truth!" Waylon boasted. "Oh yeah, and thanks for bailing me out of that jam. The ladies of the world thank you.

"Couldn't resist the draw of high life, huh, Waylon?" Brenner said. "This paycheck help you sleep at night?"

"Like a baby with a bottle!" Waylon answered. "Only a fool'd miss out on this kind of livin'! Round here? They treat me right! Give me anything I ask for. I do whatever I want, too, and everyone's too scared to say boo!"

"Typical…" Brenner muttered.

Deadeye gave Waylon a smug grin and said, "Probably because they don't realize you're an even bigger scaredy cat than they are, Waylon."

"Say that again, dragonfly man!" Waylon snarled, getting in his face.

Deadeye quirked an eyebrow. "That the best you could come up with, Elvis Presley?" Saying that, he intentionally poked Waylon's Elvis style pompadour haircut.

"Why you–!"

"Okay enough!" I suddenly shouted, much to everyone's surprise.

"K–Kuro?" Rika stuttered.

"Look, the point is, we're all here to end this war with the Lazurians! The sooner the better!" I said.

Everyone was silent for a few moments before Koji nodded with a serious look and a thumbs–up. "You're right, aibou."

Davis, nervously, then said, "Y–Yeah… L–Look… Admiral Greyfield has taken over the former military and built the New Rubinelle Army. But we need help to beat those crafty Lazurians… N–Not that you need any help, Admiral Um… Oh Great One…"

Greyfield smirked as he walked back to his desk. "Well said, young man. I must admit, some of you have fiery spirits. That's good. I need warriors willing to destroy the enemy completely." Sitting down at his desk, he then said, "The Lazurians are an enemy to freedom-loving people everywhere! There can be no peace until they are wiped from the face of the planet."

"Yeah, so, it's like a war for peace. Right?" Davis asked. "The enemy forced us into it. Are you with us, Captain?"

Brenner thought about it for a moment before saying, "…I don't want this idiotic war to continue any longer than it already has. If my men can end this fighting a day sooner, then we will help."

"Yes!" Davis cheered. "I don't believe it!"

Greyfield was silent for a long time, eyeing all of us before he finally spoke again. "I suppose your men actually be of _some_ help, Captain Brenner. Particularly… these… Kamen Riders in your unit. I am most curious about them."

WHAT?!

"How did you–!" I got out surprised as well as the other Riders present.

He put up his hand to silence me. "I have eyes and ears everywhere, Mr. Kururugi. That is all you need to know. What I need to know is how quickly you five can eliminate Lazuria from the face of the globe."

"Ngh…!" I gritted before I said, "You'll just have to see for yourself…"

Greyfield smirked as he looked to me. "I wasn't making a request, Mr. Kururugi. I was giving you an order. You _will_ tell me the information I want. Anyone who is unwilling to answer to me shall face execution."

"Gh!" I flinched before I answered, "…We'll take them out quickly."

Nodding approvingly, Greyfield sat back in his chair. "Excellent." A beeping noise from his computer caught his attention briefly before chuckling. "It seems we have the perfect opportunity to find out. Go to the Rubinelle Sea. The hated Lazurians have been seen in the area. Send them a clear signal that you now fight for Admiral Greyfield! And show no mercy!"

"…Y–Yes sir…" I managed to say before backing out and leaving the room quickly. After the leaving the room I turned a corner to another hallway where there were no soldiers and I leaned against the wall, panting heavily while having a cold sweat.

The others looked at me and Koji was the first to get to me. "Kurogasa!? Kurogasa, buddy, look at me! Just breathe, buddy… It's okay…"

"Sorry… it's just…" I said before I slid down the wall to sit down.

As the others gathered around me, Koji dropped to his knee before me. "It's okay, aibou… You're gonna be alright."

"I don't want anywhere near him… please, just get me out of here…!" I said, almost begging.

"Right…" Koji said as he helped me to my feet. "C'mon, buddy…"

"Koji, may I?" Lin offered.

Koji looked to Lin in confusion before a look of understanding came to his face. "Yes, Ma'am." He then unwrapped his arm from around my shoulder and let Lin take his place.

Brenner nodded slowly and then said, "Lieutenant… You take care of Kurogasa. The four of us will deal with the Lazurians."

"Yes sir." Lin nodded, before looking to me. "C'mon Kurogasa…"

"…" I was silent, but nodded before she led me out.

"That's just wrong…" Rika got out.

Deadeye growled angrily, clenching his fists tightly. "Damn that, Greyfield… He's done some pretty messed up stuff before, but this crosses the line." One of his fingers clenched and unclenched like he was pulling the trigger of his sniper rifle. "One shot, and no one will know."

"Don't Deadeye." Brenner frowned.

"But Captain, he threatened him. He deserves a shot to the head."

Koji bit his lip as he said, "He's right, Deadeye. As much as Greyfield may have it coming, it would only cause more problems. The last thing we need is a civil war between us."

"So what do we do?"

"We do what we're ordered to do… for now." Brenner said. "Get yourselves ready. We leave in one hour." And with that, he left.

Rika put her hand on Koji's shoulder. "Koji… I don't think we should have come here. I think we should have kept the Wolves separate."

"Yeah…" Koji agreed. "Damn… what have we gotten ourselves into…?"

* * *

><p>At the aircraft carrier, I was in one of the cabins and Lin was with me to keep me calm. "It's alright," she said as she held me close, resting her head on mine as she rubbed my back.<p>

"I… never thought I'd be this scared…" I got out. "The way he threatened me…"

Lin murmured softly as she hugged me, "I know… Greyfield crossed the line."

"I don't want to be anywhere near him Lin… ever…"

A sigh escaped my girlfriend's lips. "I wish that were possible."

"How could you say that?" I asked incredulously.

Pulling away from me slightly, Lin said, "Like it or not, Kurogasa, if we're going to be a part of his unit, then we're going to be dealing with him frequently. You, especially, being a Rider."

"I… I don't know."

Lin sighed before she surprised me with a kiss. I was shocked briefly before I returned the kiss and when we broke it she said, "You're not alone Kurogasa. You have me and the rest of the battalion that support you. We'll get through somehow."

"R–Right…" I finally said before hugging her again.

"You'll be okay Kurogasa. I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise…" Lin said.

"Okay…" I muttered.

* * *

><p><em>Brenner came up behind Koji as the sergeant was examining the battlefield through his binoculars. "Have all units been deployed, Sergeant?"<em>

_Nodding, Koji put his binoculars down as he turned to his commanding officer. "Yes, Sir. We've got all units in position and ready to engage at your command… Though I, admittedly, am a little concerned at the small amount of troopers Greyfield gave us for support."_

_"Che… yeah, a big help _he_ is. We're basically doing all the work _for_ him." Deadeye scoffed._

_Brenner grunted as he put one foot up on a rock, resting his body on it as he looked out towards the battlefield. "One wrong move, and the Lazurians will be all over us. Greyfield sent only a handful of units, and this force is formidable."_

_"We do have on big advantage, Cap," Koji said with a small yet reassuring smile, "The Kamen Riders. The four of us, plus Kurogasa when he gets here, each are like a platoon on our own."_

_"He's got a point. We can Clock Up and take care of them in no time flat." Rika agreed._

_A soft chuckle escaped Brenner's lips. "I suppose you're right. We do make pretty good force multipliers. I just hope that we make up for the difference in manpower."_

_"Still… why does this war have to go on…?" Will asked all of a sudden._

_"Will?" Brenner asked, turning towards the young cadet._

_"What do you mean, kid?" Deadeye asked as he leaned against his Rider Machine, Drake sitting on his shoulder._

_"Why did the Lazurians start this war? Why would they do that?" I don't understand what there is to fight for."_

_Sighing, Brenner could only shrug. "I imagine they saw this as a chance to settle some unfinished business."_

_Deadeye rubbed his temples, clearly getting a headache. "Sometimes I can almost understand the feeling. You agree, Shinamori?"_

_Koji nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, yes. We've been fighting the Lazurians for over a century. It seems the hatred between our countries is the one thing the meteor strike _didn't_ change."_

_"I still don't get it…" Will dejected._

_The captain made his way over to Will and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Will, I know how you feel. I know this war seems senseless. But the Great War caused unspeakable horror for our two countries." Letting go, he turned back to the battle and sighed again. "I fear this war won't end until one side secures military victory. We have to force them to surrender. We have no other choice."_

_"…" Will remained silent at that._

_"Okay, it's time. Let's move everyone!"_

_Cracking his neck, Koji whipped his Rider Belt around his waist as Gatack flew into his hand. "Right! Let's boogie with some Lazurians!"_

_"You got it buddy!" Gatack said._

**STANDBY!**

_"Let's go Sasword!" Rika said._

_As she readied her Sasword Yaiver, Sasword crawled up her leg and back to her shoulder. "Aye aye, missy! Let's do this!"_

_Pulling out his Drake Grip as Drake flew off his shoulder, Deadeye smirked. "Ready to go to the shooting gallery, little buddy?"_

_"Let's go trigger happy!" Drake cheered._

_"Hope your stinger's pointy enough TheBee." Brenner said._

_Fluttering around as Brenner strapped on his Rider Brace, TheBee flipped in the air excitedly. "Just got it sharpened today, big guy!"_

_"Let's do this, guys!" Koji shouted as he and the other Riders entered their starting stances._

_"Roger!" The other three shouted in reply._

_"HENSHIN!"_

**HENSHIN!**

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile… on the Lazurian side of the battlefield…<em>

_"General Forsythe, permission to engage the Rubinelle Forces sir." Tasha requested._

_"Granted." The man known as Forsythe nodded. He was an old man in his 60's with white hair and a moustache, wearing a Ranger's hat while wearing a military uniform that consists of a dark green jacket with a tan dress shirt and black tie, while wearing tan khakis and black dress shoes. He also had a cane with him to help him walk around._

_Just then, the general turned as he heard the WHOOP–WHOOP–WHOOP of helicopter rotors coming from behind him. The helicopter descended to the ground and he saw someone he was not happy to see at all. The old soldier sighed with frustration as he saw the scientist who had been working with the Beast arrive._

_"What are you doing here?" Forsythe frowned after the helicopter took its leave._

_"Why I came here to offer you, assistance." The scientist said. "If you like, I can boost your chances of victory. I have prepared some special gifts for you and your men."_

_"Gifts?" Forsythe frowned heavier._

_The scientist grinned with an untrustworthy smile. "Yes, gifts!" He shouted as he indicated some of the crates his men had unloaded from the helicopter. "Weapons with the power to grant you an effortless victory! Such as a device with the power to freeze troops solid?" Opening one of the crates, he unveiled a short, but very thick and powerful looking hand cannon. "It uses a specially developed formula created in my labo–"_

_"Good chowder man! That is enough!" Forsythe interrupted, not wanting to hear it, "I will hear no more talk of this! Weapons of that ilk are banned by international and military law!"_

_The scientist groaned with disappointment as he put the freezing gun back. "'Law?'" He practically spat out the word. "What does that mean now? There is no law in this world!" Approaching the general, the scientist pointed accusingly at Forsythe. "A wise man would use all means at his disposal to ensure victory."_

_Forsythe sighed irritably at that, "I am an old and tired soldier, but one that fights with honor. I will not sully the proud name of Lazuria with your foul weapons."_

_The scientist had to roll his eyes. "I don't think that position will prove popular among your troops."_

_"My good man, I'm grateful for the aid that you have given my army. It is thanks to you that we occupy a position of superiority over Rubinelle. But I simply will not abide the use of such terrible weapons."_

_The scientist shook his head in disappointment as he walked back to the boxes filled with his weapons, placing his hand sadly on one crate. "That is regrettable."_

_"General Forsythe, leave it to me! I'll destroy those filthy Rubes!" Tasha declared._

* * *

><p>"You okay now?"<p>

"Yeah, I'm okay… thanks Lin…" I sighed.

Lin smiled at me as she ran a hand through my hair, kissing my forehead. "You're welcome. Just remember, if the Admiral ever tries anything, you could always just become Kabuto and knock him down."

"Heh, I'll keep that in mind while trying to keep my head intact." I chuckled.

Lin laughed at that as she and I stood up. "Good, because otherwise I'd have to drill that message into that think skull of yours with an ass–kicking sparring session."

"Okay, okay, I get it." I chuckled again. "But seriously thanks. I know that you always got my back."

"And you always have mine," Lin said before she got serious, picking up her gear. "Now, c'mon. We should get going. We head out now, we can move out with the reinforcements and join the others."

"Right." I nodded.

"Heya partner!" Kabuto said as he flew towards me. "You good to go?"

"Yeah. Sorry for worrying ya Kabuto." I apologized.

The robotic beetle buzzed happily as he landed on my shoulder. "Don't mention it, buddy! I'm just glad to see you've pulled yourself together again!"

"Yeah, me too." I said. "Okay Lin, let's get going."

"Right behind you." Lin nodded.

* * *

><p><em>As the battle raged on, Will had made his way back behind the lines to the communications tent. His hopes were confirmed when he found a radio set up at one table completely unoccupied. Maybe now he could finally get some answers. Firing up the radio, he managed to get the Lazurian radio frequency and made his call. "Um… Hello? I mean… Attention? Come in, please. I want to speak to the Lazurian commander. Can you hear me? Why are we fighting? The war is over. None of this matters."<em>

_There was static on the radio until he heard someone, _["…Huh? …John? John? Is that you? JOHN?!"]

_"Huh?" Will asked confused._

["No, that… that's impossible… John is…"]

_"What are you talking about?!" Will asked._

_There was frustration on the other end of the radio before the voice said, _["This is Wing Commander Tasha Avian of the Lazurian Airborne! Identity yourself!"]

_Nervous, Will dropped the receiver of his radio before quickly picking it back up. "Um, uh… I'm Cadet Will Blazer, I'm a member of the 12th Battalion. Uh… oh, of Rubinelle… but listen! I don't want to fight! The Great War is over!"_

_Tasha growled at that. _["It's not over… It's _NEVER_ over! This is about revenge! We fight and fight until Rubinelle is destroyed!"]

_"Look, I know our nations have been at war since before we were both born. And we've all lost friends and family… But revenge won't bring anyone back."_

["It may not bring them back, but it _WILL_ avenge them! That's what matters! Could you just forgive and forget?! Pah, you're a hypocrite!"]

_"I'm not a hypocrite!" Will snapped._

_Tasha scoffed at Will's naivety. _["You're a kid! What do you know about war or revenge?"]_ On the other end, Will could hear her punch the table. _["You think you know right and wrong, but you've never been tested! All you have your words and your false bravado."]_ Angry tears became mixed with her words. _["John was my brother. He was killed by your Rubinelle Army. Revenge! Death to all Rubes! Reveeeeeenge!"]

_Will tried to pacify her, still hoping there was a chance to end things peacefully. "But wait–!"_

["I've said all I'm going to say,"]_ Tasha replied, cutting the Rubinelle cadet off. _["I don't want to fight a kid, but if you're with the Rubes, you're going down!"] _And with that, the line was cut._

_Will sighed heavily at that. "_Now_ what am I going to do?"_

* * *

><p><strong>1!<strong>

**2!**

**3! **

_"Rider Kick!"_ Koji shouted.

**RIDER KICK!**

_"AIIIII–YAAAAAH!" Koji cried out as he flew through the air, delivering a powerful flying kick in the center of a group of Lazurian soldiers. The yellow electricity moved from his leg to the ground, causing an explosive shockwave that sent the enemy fighters flying into the air._

_"Alright, nice one!" Gatack cheered from the belt._

_"We can't relax yet though. There's more."_

_"Yeah, I know." Gatack said._

**RIDER SLASH!**

_Running in between a hailstorm of bullets, purple lightning around the blade, Rika rushed a machine gun squad up on the ridge overlooking the battle and slashed through the air, releasing the purple goo. "TAKE THIS!" When she finished her slash, the goo exploded, sending the baddies flying and the rocks exploding in pebbles in different directions._

_"Good job lassie, keep this up and you'll be proving that ladies are stronger than the men!" Sasword said._

_Rika grinned under her helmet as she smugly twirled her sword. "You say that as if it weren't already a known fact."_

**RIDER SHOOTING!**

_"Time to go trigger happy!" Deadeye said as he aimed Drake at a group of Lazurian soldiers. A huge blue orb of energy formed before he shot it and halfway towards its targets, it separated into multiple orbs of energy hitting the group of Lazurians in one hit, knocking them to the ground._

_Turning to his right to shoot out the wheel treads of a fleeing armored personnel carrier, Deadeye smirked as he said, "Looks like we're managing to turn the tide. We keep this up, this oughta push the Lazurians back."_

_"Yeah, for sure, let's keep this thing up!" Drake said._

**RIDER STING!**

_"Read~y? Ai~m? STING!" TheBee shouted._

_Brenner raised his fist and leapt into the air, electricity forming around his left fist. "EAT THIS!" He then slammed his fist into a Lazurian tank, causing the vehicle to explode._

_"WOHOO! That one stung pretty good!" TheBee cheered._

_Brenner smirked as he leapt back. "Yeah, I don't think they'll be getting up after that one."_

_"Alrighty, let's–"_

**RIDER JUMP!**

"What the–!"

**RIDER PUNCH/KICK!**

_"Oh, shoot!" Koji shouted. "Captain, look out!"_

_Koji pushed Brenner out of the way just as Punch and Kick Hoppers unleashed their attacks. He dodged Punch Hopper's attack, but he unfortunately got hit by Kick Hopper. "GAH!" He yelled in pain as he was sent sprawling to the ground._

_"Koji!" Brenner shouted. _

_"Great, the Hopper Riders are back…" Deadeye groaned as he ran towards and shot at Punch and Kick Hopper._

_Rika growled as she ran with Deadeye, sword at the ready as she went after the Hoppers. "You bastards are gonna pay for hurting my boyfriend!"_

_The Hoppers split up, Kick Hopper leaping over Deadeye to go after Rika while Punch Hopper ran towards him._

_"You wanna divide and conquer huh? Well bring it!" Deadeye challenged._

* * *

><p><strong>1!<strong>

**2!**

**3!**

"RIDER KICK!" I shouted.

**RIDER KICK!**

I dived down towards a group of Lazurian soldiers after leaping up in the air. Electricity crackled on my kicking foot as it gathered more energy to power it up and before long, I hit one of the soldiers and the electricity spread throughout the group before they all fell to the ground.

Lin was with an infantry platoon, firing on a squad of Lazurian forces as I rushed about, trying to sow chaos amongst the Lazurians. "Kabuto, you have a location for the others?"

"Yeah, I got 'em!" Kabuto said. "They're… oh boy! The Hopper Riders are back!"

"W–What?!" I stuttered out in shock. "Oh no! We better get over there!"

"That's gonna have to wait! I got a Worm coming in fast!"

When it rains, it pours… "Where is it, Kabuto!?"

"Give me a second will ya?! I'm trying to– ahhhh! It's above us!"

Wait a minute, what? "It's–It's _above_ us?" I asked in confusion. And that was when I saw the shadow descending above me. "WHOA!" I barely managed to roll out of the way before getting stomped on by the flying creature.

"Ugh… these Worms keep getting uglier!" Lin said disgusted.

This particular Worm was based on a hornet. It had two pairs of wings. It had large, blue composite eyes with constantly chomping jaws. It had a lean, but muscular build in general, covered with yellow and black stripes. Over its shoulders, it had going down its torso and back tiny red spikes in a V-formation. On each of its forearms, it appeared to have a hornet's thorax with a hand coming out of it and a sharp, bladed stinger extending out from it.

"Okay, now _that_ is nasty!" Kabuto said.

"All the more reason to squash it!" I said, getting up before pressing the Clock Up pad.

**CLOCK UP!**

I rushed towards the Worm, drawing my KunaiAx Gun as I switched it to Ax Mode. The Hornet Worm moved to hyper speed as well and rushed at me as well, slicing his stingers against each other.

The Worm then parried my blows with his stingers, and no matter how many times I swung, the Worm keeps on blocking every one of my strikes.

"Man, this Worm is good." I gritted.

"Yeah, but we're better!" Kabuto said. "Let em have it aibou!"

"Right!" I back flipped away from a slash it made at me, trying to put some distance between us as I switched my weapon to gun mode. "Maybe I should try a long range attack."

Once I was several feet away from it, I began firing rapid fire at the Worm as it moved in closer to me, trying to use its stingers like they were shields.

"Not gonna happen!" I shouted.

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

**RIDER KICK!**

I did a roundhouse 180 kick and kicked its stingers, making the Worm screech in pain as the stingers exploded on contact.

_**"SKREEEEEEEE!"**_ The Worm cried out painfully, holding its arms in the air as it looked at its destroyed stingers.

**CLOCK OVER!**

"Alright, it's almost done!"

"Kurogasa! Move!" Lin shouted as I turned to see that she had an RPG on her shoulders, ready to fire at the Worm. I rolled out of the way as Lin pulled the trigger on the RPG, firing the projectile and sending it flying through the air towards the Worm.

The Worm didn't have time to react as it saw the RPG coming at it and then–

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The Worm exploded in yellow flames like the others by the time I got back to my feet. Lin and the squad she was with had joined me amidst all the fighting with the Lazurians.

"You okay?" Lin asked.

"Yeah. I'm good." I chuckled. "Nice job bagging the Worm. You're the first non–Rider to do that."

Lin grinned smugly as she flipped some of her hair over shoulder. "I don't want to brag or anything, but I am pretty good with heavy explosives."

"I noticed." I scoffed good–naturedly. "Okay, I'll be back. Gotta help give those Hopper Riders a piece."

Lin nodded as she said, "Go get them. I'll stay here, lead these soldiers against the Lazurians here."

"Right. Be careful." I said before turning around and hitting the Clock Up pad.

**CLOCK UP!**

* * *

><p>"Gah!" The four Riders shouted as they all sprawled to the ground while the Hopper Riders stood there, not breaking a sweat.<p>

"Man," Koji growled as he got back to his feet, drawing his swords, "These don't know when to quit."

"Is it just me… or did they get stronger, the last time we fought them?" Rika wondered.

Deadeye grunted as he readied his blaster. "Wherever they got their ZECTers, they must have gotten an upgrade."

"All the more reason to keep fighting." Brenner said as he stood up. "We'll stop whatever their benefactor is cooking up."

"GUYS!"

The group all turned and saw me rushing towards them.

"Kurogasa!" Rika shouted excitedly.

"You alright?" Koji asked, holding his side in a pained manner.

"Yeah, I'm fine now." I nodded. "Can you all still fight?"

Koji gave a grunt as he took his hand away from his side and nodded back. "We're all hurting, but I think we're good."

"I can go another round." Deadeye said.

"I can't let you boys have _all_ the fun right?" Rika added.

Brenner shot a thumbs up. "Alright then. Let's regroup and take these creeps! Kurogasa, you and Koji take Punch Hopper! Deadeye, Rika, and I will go after Kick Hopper."

"Right!" We said before charging in towards our assigned enemies. "Let's do this aibou!" I said to Koji.

Koji picked up his swords and turned towards Punch Hopper. "Gladly! Ikuze!" Koji went in first, his swords at his sides and began cutting at Punch Hopper to cover me while I ran in behind him.

**CLOCK UP!**

I hit my pad, then used that to get around Punch Hopper and hit him from behind. Punch Hopper made no noise, but clearly was caught by surprise by the attack. His back arched forward from the attack as he stumbled away before Koji followed up with an X–slash from his swords.

"Awesome!" Gatack cheered.

"Keep it up! Don't give him any chance to recover!" Kabuto shouted.

"No need to tell me twice!" I said, before continuing the assault. Punch Hopper rolled away from Koji and leapt at me, then, punching a barrage at me like a professional heavyweight boxer. I either blocked or dodged the attacks that Punch Hopper threw out and I threw a few back at him. I then quickly took out my weapon in Kunai Mode and slashed repeatedly. However, much to my surprise, as I delivered an overhead slash, Punch Hopper than grabbed my arm and wrist and, with surprising strength, flipped and threw me over his head. "WOAH!"

"YIKES!" Kabuto shouted as we flew through the air.

After flying through the air for a moment-

*BAM!*

"Ow…" I groaned in pain.

"Kurogasa!" Koji called out before turning back to Punch Hopper. "Big mistake, ugly!"

**RIDER CUTTING!**

He formed his swords into his jagged stag beetle scissors and charged at him, in an attempt to cut him in half, but–

**RIDER JUMP!**

–he missed as Punch Hopper jumped up high.

"Oh great…"

**RIDER PUNCH!**

Seeing Punch Hopper descend from the sky, Koji angled his scissor to try and counter the attack. "Alright, round two!"

**RIDER CUTTING!**

Punch Hopper pulled back and thrust forward with the punch and when the punch and scissors came in contact–

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

Both Riders went flying backwards, skidding across the ground. Koji eventually came to a stop as he hit against a large boulder behind him. "Uh… It's déjà vu all over again." Punch Hopper managed to stop too as he, skid but eventually fell. A moment later, Punch Hopper staggered back up before hitting the Clock Up pad to retreat.

"Yep… déjà vu…" Koji muttered.

"Koji!" I shouted before running over to him, while going back to civilian form. You okay?!"

Koji nodded as he got this feet, still armored. "I'm fine… Just a major headache and sore rear end. Any sign of the others?"

I looked over and not far, I saw Brenner, Rika, and Deadeye walking towards us, feeling sore, but had sour looks on their faces. Looks like Kick Hopper decided to bail out. The three of them and Koji then all returned to civilian form. All of us were in some degree of injury. Will soon met up with us too. "Those cowards got away again," Brenner grumbled.

Deadeye nodded as he looked to the battle area and said, "Yeah, but the good news seems to be the Lazurians are retreating."

"Seriously, those Hopper Riders are annoying." Rika groaned.

"Tell me about it," I replied, running my hand through my hair, trying to get some of the sand out. "You'd think they have _anything_ better to do than harass us like that."

"Well we better get used to it. I get the feeling that we'll see them again very soon." Brenner sighed.

"Well, well, well, the peanut gallery is here!" An all too familiar voice said as Waylon approached us.

Koji shot Waylon a glare out of the corner of his eye. "And where were you this whole time? Actually fighting or just pretending to to make yourself look cool?"

"Aw now that's cold brotha man!" Waylon waved off like it was nothing. "Anyways, we blasted them Lazurians and tucked their tails between their legs before heading for the hills. So y'all come back to base with us."

"That's it?" Deadeye asked.

"Oh right one more thing." Waylon said before pointing at… me? "Boss wants to see _you_."

Oh boy…

He then pointed at Will and said, "And he's not the only one. He wants to see you, too, kid."

"He wants to see me?" Will asked a bit surprised.

"'Fraid so." Waylon said. "And he ain't a fella that likes to wait, if you know what I mean. So hit the road, and tell the great man I said hello."

Will and I looked at the each other in worry. I got a bad feeling about this.

* * *

><p>Will and I stood at Greyfield's door, both of us looking to each other for reassurance and encouragement before I finally knocked on the door. When the admiral's gruff command to enter was heard, I opened the door for Will and I to enter. "You wanted to see us, Admiral?"<p>

"Hmm? Ah, yes. Will, Kururugi, wasn't it? Yes, yes. Please, do come in." Greyfield said and we entered in. Okay, he's being strangely calm. "You two kept a cool head in that battle, boys. I'm impressed. Commanding an army and swiftly defeating the Lazurians at your ages is no mean feat. But you are Rubinelle, and the proud blood of this nation flows in your veins!"

"Umm… Thank you?" Will said confused.

Yeah, this is awkward.

"What do you think of this life? What do you think of the destruction which gave birth to this brave new world?" Greyfield asked.

"I… I think it's terrible–" Will began.

"WRONG!"

And there we go. There's the Greyfield we know. He stood and pointed at Will with a cold, piercing glare. "You have made a fundamental error! Do not do so again!"

I looked to the admiral with frustrated confusion. "How was his answering your question an error?"

"Only the weak view this destruction as terrible." Greyfield said. "Some defeatists may even claim we deserved it… But they are fools! All of this has been but a test!"

"A… test?" Will gasped as I gritted my teeth.

"Yes, a test. A test to see who has earned the right of survival. The weak see it as a catastrophe, but the strong see it as opportunity! You two could be one of the strong! You passed the test with flying colors."

"But people died! They lost their lives!" I snapped.

"It is natural that the weak should perish!"

This made my blood boil even hotter by the second, as I clenched my fists in anger.

"This world as it is now demands strength. It demands the strength of Rubinelle. Our long years of war with Lazuria, and the destruction that followed, were all tests. Those who cannot cope with the harsh reality of today do not deserve to survive."

"YOU'RE WRONG!" I shouted.

Greyfield looked to me with wide eyes, rage burning behind them. "What did you say!?"

"Many people died in the war! Family and friends were killed by the meteors! You think it's natural that they died?! You think they failed some crazy test?! You're wrong! And I'm not afraid to say it!"

"How dare you speak to me in such a way?! I am Admiral Greyfield!"

"And I don't give a crap! You think you can scare me with your death threats, but not anymore!"

I could practically see the smoke billowing out of Greyfield's ears. However, much to my surprise, as he snapped the pencil he got from the table in half, he then calmed down at least somewhat as he said, growling, "I thought you two were different from that fool Brenner…" He then looked up at Will and I again, his anger starting to return. "But I see he has brainwashed you with that nonsense about protecting the innocent! Begone! Leave my sight! If you dare return, I'll see you hanged for treason!"

We didn't say anything after that as we immediately left.

* * *

><p>"Man that was brave of you." Will scoffed surprised as we were walking back to the aircraft carrier.<p>

"Hey, I wasn't going to let him threaten me anymore." I said. Winking, I then said, "Besides, if he tried anything, I could just transform, Clock Up, and give him what was coming to him."

Will looked surprised. "You'd… You'd actually do that?"

"No, but if I had to then yeah," I said.

Will nodded slowly as he said, "I see… Well, I think you were very brave to stand up to him like that."

"Heh, thanks."

The two of us soon boarded the aircraft carrier and Lin and the others met up with us on the flight deck.

"So… how did it go?" Koji asked.

"I stood up to Greyfield that's what."

Koji smiled as he gently punched my arm. "Attaboy, aibou. Glad to see I'm not the only one who'll call him out on his shit."

"I would've called him a fat tub of lard, but that would've gotten me killed on the spot." I said.

Looking a little concerned, Koji then said, "Yeah… that might be pushing the line a bit too far."

"Still, glad you stood up to him." Deadeye smirked.

"Yeah, that guy is creepy anyway." Rika added.

"Thanks you two." I smiled gently.

Koji, though, then asked, leaning against the railing as he looked out onto the horizon, "I wonder what Capt. Brenner wants us to do now, though. Is he gonna have us actually join Greyfield or have us keep going on our own? I mean… with ZECT's guys fighting with us… we could make it on our own."

"We'll see what happens. For now, we do as Brenner says." Lin suggested.

"I guess so." Koji sighed. "Ah well, I'm grabbing something to eat in the mess hall." He said before leaving.

"Wait for me!" Rika said before following him with Deadeye and Will going after him leaving Lin and I alone.

Lin chuckled as she watched them all walk off before leaning against me. "I'm glad you're okay, Kurogasa. And I'm really proud of you for standing up to Greyfield like that."

"Thanks Lin."

"And you standing up to him like that… turned me on."

Wait, what?

Grinning, she turned so that she was leaning against me, her front against mine. Placing her hands on my chest, she began kissing up my neck. "I love a man who isn't afraid to fight… A man with guts… is so hot…"

Oh good grief… her husky voice sounds hot!

"Uh… Lin? You _do_ realize what you're saying right?" I said.

Lin looked at me and grinned as she said, "Of course I do. That's why I'm saying it. So, let's go back to my cabin and… continue this conversation."

"Heh, heh, sure." I grinned back. Smiling, Lin took my hands and led me back inside the ship.

* * *

><p><strong>SD:<strong> *wakes up with a yawn* Is the chapter over yet? *yawn*

**Fen:** Yeah…

**SD:** Oh, good… So, uh *yawn*, it seems like Admiral Greyfield is gonna be a major problem.

**Fen:** Yeah, but at least Kuro is gonna be 'storming the fortress' with Lin, if you know what I mean.

**SD:** *sarcasm* No, I have NOOOO idea…

**Fen:** Oh ha–ha. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**SD:** Me, too… Now, I'm exhausted, so I think I'll go to bed now…

**Fen:** You just woke up!

**SD:** I know! All that napping tired me out!

**Fen:** That doesn't make any sense! Oh whatever! No more Dr. Pepper for you!

**SD:** That's fine… I got Vanilla Coke.

**Fen:** No more sodas period! *Takes all the sodas and locks in a very secure vault*

**SD:** I have a secret soda locker.

**Fen:** Dang it man!

**Kurogasa:** *sigh* we'll see you next chapter.


	13. Chapter 13: Greyfield Strikes

**Fen: **GAH! Not again!

**SD: **You burned the cookies again!? D':

**Fen: **No! Another chapter of Kamen Rider Kabuto! We forgot to update!

**SD: **…We're in an emergency situation, then… ***presses giant red button on wall that appeared from nowhere* **CODE RED! CODE RED! CODE RED! ***swarms of ZECTroopers come rushing out with desks and typewriters***

**Fen: **Where did _they _come from?!

**SD: **We have no time for silly questions! ***slap* **We have to coordinate with them to quickly put this chapter together! ***slap***

**Fen: **Doh! Okay! Okay! Fine! Let's just go already!

**SD: **Right!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

><p>Oh wow… just wow…!<p>

Words cannot describe the night Lin and I had. It was incredible! I laid there on the bed, with Lin lying next to me, her head on my chest as she slept. "I am the luckiest guy in the world right now…" I whispered.

"Damn right you are," I heard Lin as she opened her eyes.

"Oh, I thought you were sleeping." I chuckled.

Lin snickered as she said, "I was, but now I'm not. I'm a pretty light sleeper."

"I can see that." I said. "Still… wow, last night was amazing."

Nodding, she kissed my chest with a smile. "It was… We'll definitely need to do this again."

"Oh yeah definitely." I then said with a wink, "Never knew you were so thorough with 'cleaning my gun'".

Lin playfully acted like she was surprised. "Oh my! Suddenly so confident and everything! If I knew that all it would take to get you out of your shell was a hot romp, I would have done this a while ago."

I had to laugh at that. "Yeah, well better late than never."

Lin gave another small giggle before rolling onto her side, hugging me closer to her. "Agreed… and I won't let this opportunity go to waste."

"Neither will I." I said before I started giving butterfly kisses to her neck.

Lin started giggling profusely as she gently pushed me away, "Okay, okay, cut it out, babe! One, you're getting too mushy, and two, that tickles too much."

"Oh c'mon, I rarely get to see this side of you. I gotta milk this out as much as I can." I chuckled.

Lin stuck her tongue out at me before turning to kick her legs over the side of the bed. "Even if I wanted to, I can't. I need to get ready for my shift."

"It's kinda early though. And I still got a bit of energy left from last night."

"Oh no big boy, enough 'storming the fortress' for one night." Hopping off the bed, Lin grabbed her clothes from the floor and began dressing herself once again. "I have to report to the bridge to relieve Capt. Brenner."

"Hehhhhh, alright." I sighed.

After changing into her clothes, Lin said with a small smile, "But… maybe tonight, you and I can go at it again. That is if we have time." before pecking me on the lips.

I smiled when she pulled away as I fell back onto the bed. "I would love to, Lin. Hopefully we can find the time."

"No promises." Lin winked and turned around to leave, but not before I smacked her butt. A surprised gasp escaped her lips before she grinned at me over her shoulder. "You naughty boy…" And then she closed the door and was gone.

Oh my day is gonna be so~ great.

* * *

><p><strong>(Cue Theme D–Technolife by UVERworld)<strong>

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi yo)** The scenery is a barren wasteland, with a sky that blotted out the sun. The camera pans slowly to the right as Kurogasa, with his back facing the camera, looks at the barren wasteland on top of a cliff.  
><strong>(Kesenai kako mo seoiatteikou ikiru koto o nagedasanai de)<strong> The camera then suddenly changes to a close up of Kurogasa's face before it went around his head, the camera's view being blocked momentarily when it reached the back of his head and when the camera finally circles to the side of his face, it showed Kurogasa as Kamen Rider Kabuto, before panning out showing him in his full armor. Looking up at the sky, a ray of light suddenly burst through the clouds shining on Kabuto before the screen goes white.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] tsunaida kimi no te o)** The title Kamen Rider Kabuto: Days of Ruin appears on the screen and just before the song enters the next phrase, the ZECTers flew, crawled, and hopped around the title from behind and jumped towards the screen before changing to the next scene.

**(Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana)** Koji sits on the edge of his bed, sadly looking at his guitar on one side, his rifle on the other, as Gatack flew up and lands on his shoulder.  
><strong>(Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara)<strong> Rika was in the medical wing of the base, sighing and wiping sweat off her brow as she tries to organize her medical supplies, Sasword crawling around on a table while Brenner, Lin, Isabella, and Will were discussing plans for their next move.  
><strong>(Hibiku~ boku wo yobu koe sae kare)<strong> Kurogasa was cooking and Kabuto watched on his shoulder before Kurogasa noticed something from afar on the horizon.  
><strong>(Toki ni sou kaze ni kakikesaretatte)<strong> Drake and TheBee fly past him as we see what Kurogasa was looking out: a swarm of Salis Worms flanking Dr. Caulder with Admiral Greyfield, Waylon, showing up one end of the battlefield along with Tasha and Gage on another end and they sending out their troops alerting the 12th Platoon.

**(Kimi wo mitsu–ke–da–su) **Kurogasa grabs Kabuto and transforms into Kamen Rider Kabuto, before casting off his armor and charging towards Dr. Caulder.

**(Ienai itami kanashimi de kizutsuita kimi mou)** Dr. Caulder snaps his fingers and Kamen Rider Punch and Kick Hopper appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Kabuto for an attack only for the latter to dodge before going to attack them.  
><strong>(Waraenai nante, hito kirai nante kotoba sou iwanaide)<strong> Koji transforms into Kamen Rider Gatack and leads the Tech Platoon with their heavy weapons attacking some of the Salis Worms as Brenner transforms into Kamen Rider TheBee and he, Lin, and Will attack the rest of the forces.  
><strong>(Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara)<strong> Rika and David "Deadeye" Stevens transforms into Kamen Rider Sasword and Kamen Rider Drake respectively and attack some of the Salis Worms.  
><strong>(Ima wa sono mama de ii, kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou [WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH])<strong> As Kurogasa battles Punch Hopper and Kick Hopper, Caulder surprisingly joins in and transforms into Kamen Rider Caucasus, going to punch Kurogasa, only for the latter to dodge and he and Caulder stared each other down.

**(You and Me, two have spoken.) **The Hyper ZECTer appears from the distortion of time and Kurogasa grabs it to become Hyper Kabuto.

**([WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH] Itsuka wakariaeru kara)** Kurogasa then grabs the Perfect ZECTer and he and Caucasus leap at each other, their attack causing a huge flash of light. When the light fades, we see Kurogasa, Koji, Rika, Brenner, Will, Lin, Isabella, Tasha, Gage, and Stauffenburg looking out into the sunset, the ZECTers with them as well before the song ends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 13: Greyfield Strikes<p>

"Ehe~" I grinned stupidly as I walked towards the mess hall of the carrier for breakfast after dressing up. When I got there, I saw Koji and Rika cuddled up together as they had breakfast. Seeing the look on my face, though, Koji started to grin.

"Oh, I know that look! That is the face of a man who got himself laid!"

"Hm?" I blinked before noticing his face, "GACK! Uh…!"

Rika was giggling as Koji gave me that kind of "AW YEAH, BOY" smirk. "You definitely had a good time last night from the look on your face."

"Um uh…" I got out, blushing while looking away and rubbing the back of my head, before I sighed in defeat, "Yeah, alright. Lin and I finally did the horizontal hustle."

"THAT'S MY BOY!" Koji shouted as he forced me to high five him before tightly hugging me around the neck, almost like a chokehold. "Look, Rika, our little boy is growing up!"

"Yeah, but you're making him turn blue." Rika said pointing at me and I was constantly tapping out as my face was turning _really_ blue.

Koji looked down in confusion before gasping in horrific realization. "YIKES!" He shouted as he immediately let go… causing me to collapse onto the bench. "Oooo…" He and Rika winced. Kneeling down, Koji asked me, "You okay, buddy?"

"Yeah…" I coughed.

"Ehehehe… whoops, my bad." Koji laughed sheepishly.

"Yeah your bad alright." I grumbled before getting up. "Seriously, I wonder if you even know your own strength…"

Koji shrugged as he sat back down and took a bite out of his biscuit. "It's not my fault working in Tech Platoon keeps me fit. You try lifting and operating all that heavy ordinance and doing maintenance on all the vehicles."

"I think I'll stick to cooking." I said before going over to the buffet to get rice, eggs, bacon, sausage, and a glass of milk before sitting back down with my friends.

"So~ how was it?" Koji grinned.

I stuck my tongue out at Koji's comment. "It was great, and that is all I have to say about it."

"Oh c'mon man, I wanna know."

"And the answer is no." I said bluntly.

Shooting me a raspberry, Koji ate some of his eggs and said, "You're no fun…"

Rika nudged her boyfriend as she said, "Leave him be, Koji. Kurogasa's love life is his business."

"Thank you." I said.

"So you finally popped Lin's cherry huh?" Another familiar voice said.

Shoot!

"D–D–D–Deadeye…" I chattered, slowly turning to face Stevens. "H–How much of that did you hear?"

"Oh, just enough." He smirked.

Koji shot Deadeye a smirk and said, "Careful, Deadeye… Don't want to know what Lieutenant Lin will do to you if you start talking too much."

"Oh don't worry, it's not like she's right behind me right now."

"Er–hem…"

It was as if a dark shadow fell over our bench. A loud gulp could be heard coming from Deadeye's throat. "L–Lieutenant… How are you this morning, ma'am?"

"Fine… until I heard you and Shinamori talking…" Lin said cracking her knuckles very loud.

Koji looked to his watch and gave a long whistle. "Oh, dear, would you look at the time? I need to go to the hangar to oversee maintenance on the Humvees." Kissing Rika's cheek, he said, "Talk to you later, babe." Quickly shooting Lin a salute, he then said, "Ma'am, always a pleasure. BYE!" And he dashed off like the Roadrunner.

"Hey Koji, don't leave me here!" Deadeye shouted.

"May you rest in peace." I said as I clapped my hands together and bowed, as if praying.

Rika joined me as she said, "We will think fondly of you, dear Deadeye."

Giving Deadeye a look, Lin asked, "Now… What were you saying about my love life, Staff Sergeant Stevens?"

"Um… uh…" Deadeye got out sweating profusely.

"If you won't answer then I'm kicking your ass right now! HEAVEN'S PUNISHMENT!"

"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

* * *

><p>A medic had just finished applying an icepack to the last bruised spot on Deadeye, Rika overseeing everything. "Well, Stevens, I hope this teaches you not to talk about people's love lives."<p>

"Yes ma'am…" Deadeye mumbled. Lin really did a number of punches all over his face, hence the many bruises on him.

Rika grinned as she said, "I like that, you calling me 'ma'am'."

Snorting, Deadeye replied, "Don't get used to it."

"Serves you right though. What goes around comes around and it came around to bite you in the ass." I said smugly.

Giving me a look, he replied, "And what about Shinamori? He didn't get his."

"Technically," Rika explained, "Koji was only talking to us about it. _You_ were no doubt gonna tease Kurogasa and threaten to gossip about it."

"Oh…"

Just then, Capt. Brenner came into the infirmary. "Hey you three, we better get a move– what happened to _you_ Deadeye?"

Deadeye groaned as he said, "No offense, Captain… But I'd rather not say."

I couldn't help but snicker. "Oh, Deadeye's embarrassed. That's so cute!"

"Shut up, Kururugi." Deadeye snapped.

"Okay, whatever it is, forget it, we got orders from Greyfield." Brenner said.

A low grumble escaped my lips. "Captain, do we really need to work with him? I have a _really_ bad feeling about the admiral."

"I know, I don't like it either, but orders are orders and we have to follow them to the letter." Brenner sighed.

I sighed in agreement. "I guess so, Boss."

"Alright," Brenner said, "Someone contact Koji and have him meet us in the conference room to discuss our plans."

"I'll go." Deadeye volunteered as he promptly left the infirmary with Rika following.

"So… What happened to Deadeye, Kurogasa?" Brenner asked.

A big grin came to my face. "Lt. Lin kicked his ass."

"Oh?" Brenner raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah… mostly because he was gonna practically tell everyone about Lin and I… uh… you know…" I trailed off with a hint of red on my face, looking away.

Brenner was confused for a moment before the light bulb went off in his head. "Now, I get it. No wonder Lin looked so pleased with herself."

"Heh, heh, yeah." I said sheepishly. "It was… just incredible last night when we–"

"Okay, I think that's too much." Brenner raised a hand.

"Oh, sorry."

Clearing his throat, the captain then said, "C'mon now, let's go join everyone. We have a big mission coming up."

"Right." I nodded.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile in the New Rubinelle Army HQ, Davis came in Greyfield's office and Greyfield looked impatient as ever. "WELL?! Don't just stand there fool! Give me your report!"<em>

_Davis snapped to attention and saluted Greyfield as he gave his report. "Th–Thanks to the brave effort of all our units, we crushed the hated Lazurians. Brenner's Wolves fought particularly well. It was only due to their–"_

_"SILENCE!" Greyfield yelled making Davis squeak. "I did not summon you before me to sing that fool's praises! Where is the 12th Battalion now?"_

_"O–On the coast sir! L–l–looking for the enemy!"_

_Nodding with frustration, Greyfield waved his hand in a manner telling Davis he could stand at ease. "Send units to assist them." He then jabbed his finger in Davis's direction and added, "Make it clear that Admiral Greyfield is in command! Brenner will obey my orders to the letter during the next battle!"_

_"B–But, Admiral…"_

_"Do you question me, Davis?" Greyfield growled. "Armies need discipline and leadership. I provide these things! Rogue elements like these… Wolves of Brenner's… must be brought to heel."_

_Davis gulped before coming to attention again and saluting. "Y–Yes, Sir, sir! Absolutely right, Admiral. I'll… I'll get right on it."_

* * *

><p>"Sir, we've captured the naval ports here, we can build ships now!" Will said.<p>

Brenner put down his binoculars and nodded approvingly. "Well done, Will," he said approvingly before sighing, "But the enemy has ports, too. This may be a long battle."

"Not with us around." I said confidently with a smirk.

Koji nodded with a smirk of his own as we bumped fists. "Dang straight, my brother. We Clock Up, and those guys will be clocking out!"

"Don't get cocky, you two." Rika said. "We don't know what the enemy will do just yet."

An agreeing murmur escaped Brenner's lips. "Unfortunately, Rika may be right. Plus from the looks of things, their naval force has a moderately substantial amount of strength. We'll need to be on guard."

"Quite the optimist huh Captain." I sighed.

"I'm trying to be realistic." Brenner said. "Lin, is ZECT ready to deploy?"

Lin nodded. "Yes, Sir. Their units are all set for deployment."

"Good. Give Kagami the green light. We're engaging now."

Shooting him a thumbs, Lin put on her headset and brought the microphone to her lips. "Kagami, this is Wolf 2. We're ready to engage. You have the green light to deploy."

[_"Understood, ZECT is deploying now."_]

From the command ship, we could see the ZECT ships move out to engage the Lazurians. Once they began to deploy, Brenner then said, "Now then, let's not let ZECT have all the fun. All units, this is Wolf Leader! Deploy! I repeat, all units, deploy!" At his command, all of our ships began rushing full speed towards the Lazurian fleet. Brenner then looked to us and said, "Let's go after them."

"Right," I nodded. "Kabuto, you ready?"

"You know it!" The ZECTer cheered before flying into my hand.

"Let's give em a good smacking, Gatack!" Koji said.

"I'm with ya, buddy!" Gatack said as he landed in Koji's hand.

Rika readied her Sasword Yaiver, pointing the blade down for Sasword to climb up it. "Let's do it, Sasword!"

Sasword chuckled and excitedly clicked his claws together. "I'm with you, lassie!"

"You up for some shooting, Drake?" Deadeye asked.

"HA! I was born to shoot things!" Drake said proudly before attaching to the Drake Grip.

TheBee buzzed around Brenner's head as the captain asked, "Shall we, TheBee?"

Buzzing excitedly, the robotic wasp landed on Brenner's shoulder. "Time for some buttkicking!"

"HENSHIN!"

**HENSHIN!**

Soon after attaching the ZECTers to their respective items, energy hexagons enveloped and encased us in our Masked Form armor. "Alright everyone, let's move out!" Brenner shouted.

"Yes, Sir!" We replied before moving out.

* * *

><p>The five of us arrived on the scene on our Rider Machines as the battle was underway. An NRA guard rushed over to us as we parked, saluting Brenner. "Captain Brenner," he exclaimed as the captain returned his salute, We're receiving orders from Admiral Greyfield! He says that they must be obeyed under penalty of death, Sir!"<p>

"What?!" Brenner exclaimed incredulously. "This is _our_ battle! What does that idiot think he's doing?"

"Sorry, Sir! But I'm just the messenger! Please do what he says, sir! I have a wife and kids!"

"You've gotta be kidding me…!" I groaned.

"Wait… The penalty of death applies to you? An enlisted man?!" Koji asked.

"I think it applies to _all_ of us, Koji. There's no choice. The admiral clearly doesn't like me very much." Brenner sighed.

"Maybe Will and I shouldn't have gotten in his face like that…" I muttered.

"Don't blame yourself, Kurogasa. Things can't be changed now. I could risk my own neck, but I won't endanger the lives of my men. We'll follow his orders. …No matter how crazy they are."

"You sure?" Deadeye asked.

Brenner gave a long, defeated sigh, but nodded. "For now, at least. Alright, let's see what we can do. Our navy needs our help!"

"Well, about that…" The NRA guard said before he gave Brenner a piece of paper for him to read.

"Are you kidding me?! All ZECT ships are to cease fire and hold position without the Admiral's leave?!"

"What is that idiot thinking?!" Rika demanded.

Koji grunted as he said, "Is he trying to lure them into some kind of trap? Trying to lure the Lazurians into a false sense of security or something? Why else would he order a ceasefire?"

Deadeye, ever the pessimist, replied with a snort, "Maybe he wants to have us out here on a suicide mission so that we won't be in his way anymore."

"For once, I'm gonna have to agree with you on that one," I said.

"And now I'm actually worried. Kururugi agrees with me," Deadeye replied, some legitimate worry leaking out with the sarcasm.

Just then, Koji seemed to get an idea. "Wait a minute, Captain… There _may_ be a loophole in the admiral's orders." We all looked to him in surprise. "Greyfield ordered all the _ships_ to ceasefire… He never said we _Riders _had to. If we Cast Off and Clock Up, we can rush over and start sowing chaos among the enemy ships."

"Good thinking," I grinned behind my mask. "And I'm not waiting any longer! Cast Off!"

**CAST OFF!**

**CHANGE: BEETLE!**

"Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

And with that, I sped off.

"Aw mou~, this isn't a contest of kill scores you know!" Rika whined. "Cast Off!"

**CAST OFF!**

**CHANGE: SCORPION!**

"Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

Rika sped off after me, causing Koji to groan. "Hey! This was my idea! Wait for me! Ugh…" Pushing out the pincers on his ZECTer, he said, "Cast Off!"

**CAST OFF!**

**CHANGE: STAG BEETLE!**

"Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

Brenner merely shook his head. "Kids these days," he said to Deadeye before shrugging. "Let's go, Deadeye."

"You've got it, Boss," the sergeant replied as he and Captain Brenner prepared to enter Rider Form.

"Cast Off!" They shouted in unison.

**CAST OFF!**

**CHANGE: WASP/DRAGONFLY!**

"Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

And with that, they sped off after us.

* * *

><p><em>Aboard the Lazurian command ship, Tasha and a young man with pale skin, messy blue hair with a strand braided, with blue eyes, wearing an opened military jacket that exposed his body, wearing dark green pants and black boots, were observing the battle, coordinating the attacks of the Lazurian Navy. Gage looked confused, however, as he put down his binoculars, noticing an odd sight on the battlefield. "The enemy units are behaving oddly," he stated.<em>

_Curious, Tasha grabbed the binoculars and examined the battle herself, looking out at the ships and noticing that the Rubinelle Navy had stopped their attack. "Great!" She exclaimed proudly. "Maybe there's a problem in the ranks!"_

_"I wouldn't want to speculate," The man said, killing Tasha's mood. "Let's just finish the job at__–__"_

_"Sir!" A female sailor shouted. "I'm detecting five unknown targets heading inbound at high speed."_

_"What?!" Tasha roared. "That's impossible! No one should go that fast! Who do they think they are, Superman?!"_

_The man remained stoic as he said, "There are beings who could be that fast. The Kamen Riders. They are on their way here."_

_"You mean those metal armored freaks?!"_

_"Who else?" Pressing a button on the communications panel, the man then said, "All units, this is Gage: enemy forces are on their way here. Prepare to counterattack and repel the Kamen Riders."_

_"You really think we could hold them off?" Tasha wondered._

_"Don't know, but we have to try," Gage said._

* * *

><p><em>Aboard one of the Lazurian vessels, a young man who appeared to be just another Lazurian sailor in the navy was listening to Gage's command and smirked. "Perfect… Looks like my chance to finally destroy the last line of defense this species has against my fellow Worms. If I destroy the Riders… Perhaps I will be allowed to reassimilate and acquire a higher profile human than this one, one of power in the New Order." Smirking, his body began to glow as he transformed into his Worm form.<em>

_This Worm was in the form of a cockroach. If the Riders thought Worms were ugly enough, they were so wrong when it came to this one. The Cockroach Worm had yellow eyes with huge mandibles along with several smaller mandible that went in a circular manner in the mouth area. The overall color of the Cockroach was brown and black, its torso and legs being spiky and had a smooth exoskeleton for a shell. Its saliva dripped from its mouth as it made incomprehensible slimy noises. It then rushed off as explosions were heard from the battle, ready to eliminate the five Riders…_

* * *

><p>The Lazurian ships opened fire on the five of us as we rushed across the water, moving between the ships as we began using hit–and–run tactics on the enemy vessels. Rika hopped aboard one destroyer and, after knocking the sailors in her way overboard, began using her Sasword Yaiver to cut down the ship's heavy weapons. Deadeye climbed onto a frigate, shooting at a few enemy troops as he hopped on top of the bridge, taking it up as a sniper position and began blasting at the baddies. Brenner was jumping between small gunboats, punching and kicking the sailors off of them and doing his best to damage the engines of the boats. Koji went for one of the larger vessels, a big battlecruiser, and cut his way to the bridge with his Horn Sabers, hoping to take control of the weapons of the big ship and use them against the smaller ships.<p>

As for me, I was on the aircraft carrier, knocking out the flight crew with my speed as I made my way towards the control room while shooting some of the guns from the soldiers. I may be like a soldier, but I'm a chef, and I'm not gonna outright kill anyone. "Guys, I've managed to get aboard the aircraft carrier! I am making my way towards the bridge, but I am gonna need some support!"

[_"I'm on my way, Kuro!"_] Rika replied over radio.

[_"Give me a minute, I'll be there,"_] Deadeye added, the sound of his blaster firing in the background.

[_"Coming now,"_] Brenner stated as well.

Finally, Koji then said, [_"I'm aboard the battlecruiser! I've got a bit of a fight on my hands! I'll rendezvous with you four as soon as I can!"_]

"Alright, just make it quick!" I said, before I punched another Lazurian soldier in the gut and continued making my way towards the bridge. I then took out my Kunai AxGun and switched it into Ax Mode as I came to locked door. Quickly, after sweeping the legs of another soldier out from under him with a low kick, stopping him from shooting at me, I then chopped my ax down and cut through the lock, kicking open the door. I found a staircase there and quickly climbed up it, coming into a hallway that led to the bridge.

"I've always wanted to do this," I said cheekily.

"What's that?" Kabuto asked.

"Kicking down the door to make a grand entrance," I grinned.

**1!**

**2!**

**3!**

"Rider Kick!"

**RIDER KICK!**

The electricity flowed over my leg, charging up before I finally performed my reverse roundhouse kick, slamming my leg into the door, knocking it harshly off its hinges, and sending it crashing into the inner sections of the bridge, knocking over a console and the technician operating it. The bridge crew was caught completely off guard and I quickly switched my weapon to Gun Mode, holding it out in front of me just as TheBee, Sasword, and Drake came up behind me. "Freeze! On the ground now!" I shouted.

"I'd do what he says, if I were all of you," Deadeye suggested.

"Like we're gonna surrender to you freaks!" One of the crew members said as I looked to see an orange haired woman dressed as an aviator of sorts. Hold on, where have I seen her before?

"You're only going to get yourself killed if you try to resist," Brenner said, trying to reason with her. "We have the bridge under our control, and-" He paused as he looked out the window and saw a Lazurian battlecruiser firing on the surrounding Lazurian warships. "–Yep, just as I thought… One of our comrades has taken control of your battlecruiser and is attacking the rest of your fleet. If you stand down and surrender, I'll give him the order to ceasefire. Don't needlessly throw away the lives of your own troops!"

The female Lazurian soldier snorted. "The sacrifice of our soldiers won't be in vain if they bring us closer to victory!"

At that moment, the glass shattered in the front panel of the bridge window as a sniper's bullet crashed through it and hit my shoulder. My armor managed to protect me for the most part, but because the bullet was of such a high-caliber, the force managed to send me flying backwards. "GAH!"

"KURO!" Rika shouted.

"Sniper…" Deadeye gritted. "Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

Deadeye went high speed and dashed all the way to where the sniper and aimed Drake at him. "Don't move."

The sniper, however, stood his ground, keeping his sniper rifle pointed at Deadeye's chest. "I will never surrender to the likes of a Rubinelle soldier."

"Look we can do this easy way or the hard way. I suggest easy."

The Lazurian sniper scoffed. "Then you're gonna be very disappointed." With Deadeye slowed down, he quickly pulled the trigger and fired another shot, this one nailing Deadeye and knocking him onto the deck below.

"GAH!" Deadeye cried out. Next thing that happened was the sniper dived into the ocean to make an escape. Before I knew it, that aviator woman to our surprise threw a smoke grenade on the floor to cover the area.

"Die, Rubinelle scum!" She shouted as she pulled out two submachine guns and opened fire on Brenner, Rika, and I, causing all three of us to hit the deck as she leapt out of the bridge and into the water with the sniper, making her way to the same cruiser he was going to.

"Crap… They're gone…" I gritted as we managed to get up. "So much for taking the commanders as POWs…"

Brenner sighed at this and merely shook his head. "It's a small loss. We still have access to the ship. See if we can salvage anything of value: plans, codes, etc. Anything we might be able to use against the Lazurians."

"Uh… might wanna do that later," Rika said as she pointed on the flight deck to see… A Cockroach Worm?! And it's beating the crap out of Deadeye!

"Gh! Rika and I will help Deadeye. Capt. Brenner, you have the bridge," I said before running off with Rika following me.

"Since when can _he _pull rank on me?" Brenner muttered to himself as he went about securing the bridge.

* * *

><p>Deadeye went crashing into a helicopter parked on the flight deck, knocking it off after being punched into it by the Cockroach Worm. He got to his feet with slight dizziness as he readied his blaster and started shooting at it. Unfortunately, pretty much all of his shots bounced off of the Worm's heavily armored body. "Damn… Just like real cockroaches, this little bugger is hard to get rid of!"<p>

**RIDER KICK/SLASH!**

"Huh?" Deadeye gasped as Rika came in fast, ready to slash the Cockroach Worm while I dived in for the Rider Kick.

The Cockroach Worm turned and looked to us just in time to take the blows, both exploding against it and sending it flying backwards.

"You alright?" I asked as Rika and I got over to Deadeye.

"Yeah, peachy…" Deadeye grunted.

"That bug was kicking our butts!" Drake whined.

"Quit yer whinin', laddie!" Sasword snapped. "Take the pain like a true ZECTer!"

Just then, we saw a blur of blue rush across the water before Koji skidded to a stop beside us. "Sorry we're late."

"Yeah, we had some really annoying guys to deal with on that battlecruiser," Gatack added from around Koji's waist.

"Where's the captain?" Koji asked.

"Securing the bridge," I said. "We need to stamp out this Cockroach Worm, though."

Deadeye grunted slightly as he held Drake at the ready. "Easier said than done. A real cockroach can survive a nuclear explosion. So far, this guy has proven he's at least that resilient."

"Then we make him go beyond its limit!" Rika said, before pressing the Clock Up pad. "Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

Rika rushed at the Worm with her Sasword Yaiver at her side before leaping up for a downward slash at the Worm. "AII_–_YAH!" The blade came downwards at it, but Cockroach raised its arms defensively, buckling down as it dropped into a crouch to absorb the blow. "What?!" The next thing that happened was that it bounced Rika back, making her tumble to the ground. "Ow…"

"Rika!" I shouted before turning to the Cockroach Worm. "Teme!" I then charged at the Cockroach Worm. "Clock Up!"

**CLOCK UP!**

I rushed at the Worm and gave it a powerful flying side kick that caused it to stumble back a few feet before it punched at me, knocking me back.

Meanwhile, Koji had rushed over to his girlfriend and was helping her to her feet. "Sweet Thang, you alright?"

She nodded as she got back up and replied, "I'm alright… That thing just got me rattled a bit."

"No kidding. Man, Deadeye was right. That thing's resilient," Koji said. "How can we beat it?"

Just then, Capt. Brenner leapt down from the bridge and launched his own attack on the Worm, a series of punches and kicks. However, Cockroach seemed to barely feel any of them. After getting knocked back, he rolled in the direction of Koji and Rika and said, "I think we only have one option: a coordinated group attack. Our attacks alone are useless. That Worm's defense is just too great for any one of us individually overcome. We might, though, be able to break it down if we combine our powers."

"Captain?!" Koji asked surprised. "What are _you _doing here?! What happened to the POW's?!"

"Don't worry, I got our men taking care of them! Right now, we have to deal with this thing!" Brenner said.

Deadeye nodded in agreement as he started shooting at the Worm, trying to distract its attention away from me so I could regroup with the rest of the Riders. "I think a team attack could work," he said. "How are we doing this?"

"Doing all our finishing move at the same time should do the trick," Brenner said. "We just have to time it right."

I nodded in agreement. "We need to surround it, make sure it t dodge any of them. If even _one_ of our attacks miss, this thing could come up standing afterwards."

"Then let's do this!" Deadeye urged. "Everyone, hit the Clock Up pads!" We all nodded in agreement as we did just that.

**CLOCK UP!**

The moment the voice from our ZECTers spoke out, we rushed about to surround the Worm. Cockroach looked back and forth between all of us, trying to determine what to do, but it was too busy trying to watch all five of us to really formulate a plan.

"Ikuze, minna!" I shouted as we all reached for our ZECTers to prepare our finishing attacks.

**1! 2! 3! RIDER KICK!**

**RIDER CUTTING!**

**RIDER STING!**

**RIDER SLASH!**

**RIDER SHOOTING!**

Deadeye was the first to attack as he shot out a huge ball of blue energy at the Cockroach Worm, the former exploding on contact, stunning it. Rika then came in next, slashing her Sasword Yaiver at the abdomen of the Worm, followed by Brenner who punctured it with TheBee's stinger. Koji then used his Stag Swords and combined it into scissors mode before he crunched the Worm and lifted him up.

"Now, aibou!" Koji shouted.

I wasted no time as I jumped and did a flying kick towards the Cockroach Worm as electricity flowed all over my body before it converged my kicking foot. "HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I yelled.

What happened next occurred in but milliseconds, but it appeared to me as if it was in slow motion. Koji opened his scissors and rolled out of the way of my incoming attack. The Cockroach Worm started to fall to the ground, but I was fast enough to hit it. My foot connected with its side, all the electricity around my leg exploding against its rock hard exoskeleton. A huge explosion went off against it as it fell over the side of the ship, electricity crackling over its body before it crashed into the water. One second later, the water shot up in a huge column as the Worm exploded beneath the waves.

"Finally…" I sighed in relief after landing on the ground and fell on my butt. "I thought that thing wasn't going to die."

Koji nodded in agreement as I got back to my feet. "But we got it… All with the power of teamwork and friendship!"

"Okay, that would've been fine to say if you didn't add that friendship in that sentence. That just sounds weird coming from you, of all people," Deadeye commented.

I could practically hear Koji's eyes rolling behind his mask. "I know, I was joking, ya jerk," he complained before elbowing Deadeye.

"At ease, Sergeants," Brenner said, splitting the two up. "We're still in the middle of an active warzone. The last thing we need is the two of you fighting each other instead of the bad guys."

"Yeah, let's just finish this battle and get it over with," Rika said. "The sooner, the better."

"Right," I nodded.

* * *

><p><em>Back at the New Rubinelle Army's headquarters, an NRA soldier came rushing into Admiral Greyfield's office, stopping in front of the admiral's desk and saluting as he delivered his report. "Admiral Greyfield! Brenner's Wolves have won the day, Sir!" The soldier was super excited, until he realized what he said, knowing how Greyfield felt about Brenner and his battalion. Trying to save himself, he then said, "Er… I mean… It was probably due to your leadership, S–Sir!"<em>

_"…I see." Greyfield said, strangely calm._

_"A__–__Admiral? You're not… Upset at our victory, are you?" the NRA soldier asked nervously._

_"No! Of course not! How dare you!" Greyfield snapped, making the soldier cringe before the admiral calmed down. "I am merely displeased that Brenner allowed the Lazurians to escape. Until they are wiped from the face of the planet, we will know no peace…"_

* * *

><p>Well, we managed to win the day: all of the Lazurian ships have been disabled and the POW's have been taken in. The NRA and the 12th Battalion met up in a ruined coastal city on Lazurian territory and we set up a temporary base, being able to get a breather for once.<p>

"All in a day's work," I sighed to myself as I stood about, watching the soldiers go about their way. Lin was with me and I had my arm wrapped around her waist as we watched.

"Yeah. We managed to get things done quick thanks to you and the captain," Lin said.

"It would've gone faster if Greyfield didn't give out those lousy orders," I replied as I grumbled a bit.

Lin sighed. "I know, I know… sadly we can't do anything about that."

"Well, at least it's not all bad. We get to live another day." I then held Lin closer. "And I get to have some more quality time with _you_."

The lieutenant smiled at me as she said, "I suppose that is a good thing… For you at least." She then stuck her tongue out at me in a teasing manner.

"Is that an invitation?" I smirked.

"Mmm… No," she said with a smirk. I deflated a bit at that. However, once she was sure no one was around, she kissed me before saying, "Now, _that _was an invitation."

"Okay…" I said a bit dreamily.

"Now… Since we have time, we can go back to the ship and… 'Have some alone time.'"

"Oh, you won't get any arguments from me," I smirked before the two of us left the temporary base.

* * *

><p><em>In a different part of the base, Will and Isabella were going for a walk, interacting with many of the civilian refugees that were living amongst the NRA and ZECT forces. "So," Will said, trying not to sound bashful, "How are you doing today, Isabella?"<em>

_"I'm doing okay." Isabella replied. "What about you?"_

_"That's good," Will said as they walked. "I'm doing alright. I just… I just can't help but wonder about today; more about the rationalization behind this war between us and the Lazurians."_

_"I see." Isabella nodded in understanding._

_"Oh! Oh golly, it's you!"_

_Will and Isabella turned to see a civilian, looking scared for some reason._

_"I'm… I'm sorry. Do you know me?" Isabella asked confused._

_"Oh, I doubt you'd be remembering me. I used to run the bakery in this city, don'cha know!"_

_"Oh… I'm… I'm sorry. I can't really remember anything."_

_"Wait! You know Isabella?" Will asked. "She's lost her memory. Anything you can tell us about her would be a big help."_

_"Well, that's just a shame, it is!" The civilian said. "But I'm afraid I won't be of much use t'ya. I only saw this young lady and her family a few times. Never bought m'pies, don'cha know!" That made Isabella gasp._

_"She has a family?"_

_"Oh yah! Had herself a couple'a sisters and a brother, if I'm rememberin' rightly."_

_"…I had a family?" Isabella got out._

_"Do you know their names? Or where they are now?" Will questioned._

_"Oh no! I don't think anyone here will be tellin' ya any of that. Not quite sure the best way to tell ya this, but… Ya had a bit of a creepy family, if I remember rightly. Folks were scared of 'em."_

_"Why?" Isabella asked._

_"Oh, I don't wanna be talkin' poorly about someone's family! Wouldn't be right." The civilian denied._

_Isabella rushed over to the man and took his hands in hers. "No! Please tell me! I want to know!"_

_The man could see the desperation in Isabella's eyes, tears starting to well up within them. Finally, he said, "Yah well, we had all kinds of strange rumors flying about! Folks said your family wasn't human! Said they were monsters and the like! …Don'cha know."_

_"That's… Horrible," Isabella murmured, crestfallen at the discovery that her family seemed… Less than wholesome, to put it lightly._

_Seeing Isabella so saddened made the civilian feel just as sad as she was. "Oh golly, now I gone and done it!" However, as bad as he felt, he kept talking, clearly. " having a big mouth."But yah, there were a buncha rumors! Folks said that a buncha tough guys caused ya trouble and then died all mysterious__–__like! And some folks said that if ya got near weapons, they'd explode and such!"_

_"…" Isabella remained silent at that before he let go of her._

_"But they're just rumors, yah? Don'cha be payin' these things no mind," he said and with that he left in a hurry._

_"Will…" Isabella got out._

_Will turned to Isabella and placed his hands comfortingly on her shoulders. Trying to comfort her and make feel her better, he said, "Listen, Isabella, I'm sure that__–"_

_Isabella, however, was too far lost amongst her own thoughts. Barely recognizing Will's hands were on her shoulders, she turned and walked away as she said to herself, "Who am I? What am I? What if I did terrible things and don't remember it…?"_

* * *

><p><strong>SD: *All the ZECTroopers are asleep at their desks* <strong>WE'RE DONE! WOOHOO!

**Fen: **About time… ***sits back in chair exhausted* **Ithought we would never get it done!

**SD: **But we did it! Christmas bonuses for everyone!

**ZECTroopers & Fen: **Whoopeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…

**SD: **Too bad it's not Christmas anymore… :'(

**Fen: **Yeah, I know. Still, we apologize for not updating sooner readers… We'll go faster next time…

**SD: **Unless we forget again! xD

**Fen: **…Dude, just… No…

**SD: **Yes, yes, yes, whatever… Now then… ***rips off clothes and appears dressed like a tacky tourist* **TO OAHU!


End file.
